Miles 'Foxy' Prower!
by YiffyOne
Summary: Tails spills a solution on himself, only to discover that it's scent makes him irresistable to every female he comes into contact with! Mainstream romance is TailsxCream, but there's sure to be more tension between he and the other girls...
1. Chapter 1

Good day to you, folks. Tis' I, YiffyOne, here to blab for like a half a page and then cop out another fanfic. This one'll be Sonic oriented, based on Tails, and that adorable little Cream. Fox and Rabbits happen to be my two fave animals, so I simply can't resist. Hopefully I'll be able to top my record of review #, with this cute lil' ol love story.

If it's not already self evident, this story is a romance between Tails and Cream, it's a bit more complicated than just that, because ALL the girls like Tails.. just, read to find out.**. Here's the full-on summary: **_Tails is innocently tinkering in his workshop one day, and discovers that scent is the key to a new-age form of hypnotism! Unable to resist the urge to create an invention using this principal, he begins working on the Hypno gun. He ends up getting a scented solution on him by accident, and when he goes out, he discovers that all the members of the oppisite sex find him irresistable! Sparks fly, friendships are in peril, and Tails, the stud everyone's gunnin' for is stuck in the middle of it all! _

Also, make a note that this story may have references that, though they do not take place, may suggest age-play. Tails is 15 in this, and there WILL be sexual references. Very vague ones, but just warning ya.

Ok! Here goes nothin'!_ Miles 'Foxy' Prower, Chapter 1: "Bad Tails, BAD!"_

_side note: this chap will be extra short, because it's more of a prologue. It's good enough, though, enjoy._

General day in the Mystic Ruins. Running water, wind through the trees, and other various sounds brought the region's ambience together well. In the direction of Tails' workshop, the faint sound of a radio playing a popular song could be heard.

"I would swallow my pride, I would choke on the rinds, but the lack thereof would leave me empty inside, swallow my doubt, turn it inside out…" The words, muffled a bit by static could be heard.

Tails bobbed his head left and right in beat with the song. He didn't even know the name of the tune, but it was catchy nonetheless, and he liked it.

Krrch, Krrch.

The wrench made these barely audible noises as the young foxteen tightened the last bolt on the Typhoon. Yup, only a few years, and Eggman managed to trash both the X Tornado and X2 beyond repairs. The Typhoon reverted back to the classic bi-plane look, since Tails hadn't the materials or money to remake something as big as the X Tornado, much less the massive X2. It would do, though.

He wiped a small bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his glove, as he looked upon his finished work triumphantly.

The Typhoon was painted beautifully, in a nice shade of green. Tails wanted to make it look different from the original Tornado, the purple one, which was also red at one point in time, so just as an extra measure to make it look really different, it was green, with his insignia, the fox tail T on the side, with the retro-looking letters 'y-p-h-o-o-n' written to it's right. He was going to call it the Tornado X3, but it was too different from the X and X2, not to mention it was about time they gave a plane a different name. At least Sonic felt that way.

To clear up any misunderstandings, Tails had not just completed the plane, but was repairing it from a battle. It was just a scratch, but he decided to replace the panel with a pre-painted one. All he had to do was screw it on, not much work involved. However, it was a hot day, and one of the screws was stripped, so he ended up being hunched over for about 10 minutes fixing the dang thing… more trouble than he bargained for, but he liked work, being just a little OCD about occupying himself.

His work completed, Tails had nothing else to do. He turned the radio off just in time to avoid a horrid R and B tune, which he loathed. Tails was no racist, and he rather enjoyed rap, but rap and blues were just a bad combination. Period.

He decided to turn on the news. He entered the lounge section of his workshop, where he and Sonic spent the majority of their free minutes, as few of them as they got, what with Eggman always at it, even after all these years. The fox plopped down on the couch, next to Sonic, whom had been there the whole time watching the Smurfs. Tails pulled out his master remote, which controlled virtually everything he pointed it at, and flipped the channel to the News. Sonic immediately jumped up.

"Heeeeeeyyy! Smurfette was about to ask Papa Smurf out!" Sonic whined.

"Sonic, I hate to tell you this, but Smurfette and Papa Smurf are never going to date. That would end in a Smurfy hell." Tails responded indifferently. Sonic pouted.

"Hey, I don't wanna watch the News! It's all reruns!" Sonic said, folding his arms.

"Hahaha… the News doesn't have reruns you dummy, that's why it's called the NEWS!" Tails chuckled, "And I don't know what you see in the Smurfs anyway." He added. Sonic grinned coolly.

"They're blue, like me!" Sonic said, doing his 'you know I rock' pose. Tails shook his head.

"You're SO vain." He said through a grin. Sonic gave his little buddy a comedic look.

"Well, wouldn't YOU be if you looked this good!" The blue whirlwind stated, pulling out a ridiculously convenient hand mirror.

"Paaaah. I'd hate myself." Tails said, making Sonic sweatdrop, having no comeback.

"Arg, touche'." he said simply, never being a sore loser.

After all, nine times out of ten, Tails reigned triumphant in bouts of wit. Leave him in a room with anybody for five minutes and the boy could outwit anyone, so Sonic didn't really expect to win anyway. He was proud of the teenager Tails turned out to be… over a few years, one of two things changed him: either some of Sonic's cool finally rubbed off on him, or the slyness that takes place naturally in foxes finally hit him with puberty. Sonic figured it was a mixture of both.

Yeah, Tails had grown in more ways than one, alright. Over the years he'd gotten even smarter, stronger, and best of all, his attitude formed into something Sonic and many others highly admired. He had this… aura. Kind of like his partner's... Heroic, but also intelligent, and kind, gentle. Sonic was always surprised that the girls didn't flock around his little bro like they did around him. He felt bad sometimes, cuz he always knew HE was the one stealing Tails' thunder. Sonic, despite what most people thought, DID consider the future every now and then, and he saw big, BIG things in this little foxboy's future. Well, not so little anymore. He WAS as tall as Amy now, a bit shorter than Sonic himself. Sonic had this theory that Tails was going to be a better hero than he ever was, and he'd love nothing more than to watch it happen. He smiled.

"sniff What are you grinnin' at?" Tails said, seeming to have a bigger than average peripheral vision, seeing as he knew the blue hedgehog next to him was smiling, even though he wasn't looking.

"Hmm, nothin'."

"Shh!" Tails hissed as he sat on the edge of the sofa, looking at the tv.

He always did that when he watched the News. It was best to just shut up if he did, otherwise he'd just shoo you out of his workshop. Sonic remained silent and looked at the tv screen.

"…In other news, it's been scientifically proven that the key to most of Hypnotism is, you guessed it, scent. Here we have Mrs. Wittcolmbe. Mrs. Wittcolmbe?"

"Just call me Patty."

"Very well, Patty. Can you tell us a little bit about your research?"

"Of coarse, Katie. We've been doing experiments for years, but we've finally stumbled onto something! It turns out that the reaction that aromas… everyday aromas that enter your nose affect largely what you do in everyday life! It's been done in Broadway shows, all sorts of things that involve altering what people do, such as hypnotism. Studies show that…" With that, Tails turned the tv off.

"Oh c'mon Tails! The ONE time the News has ever had anything that interests me, you wanna… Uh… Tails?" Sonic trailed. His face twisted in horror as his best bud's eye glint with the famed 'inventor's glint'.

"A-…ah-…Ahh! No Tails! NO! NO, that's a BAD BAD thing Tails! Hey, don't…" Tails nodded in a lunatic manner as he grinned hugely and evilly and started to push Sonic towards the door, "No! BAD Tails! BAD! Oh.. c'mon, at least let me catch the last five minutes of the smurfs!" Sonic's voice trailed off as a door slammed in front of it. Tails had work to do, he needed to be alone for a couple of weeks so he could work on this breakthrough of an idea.

It never WAS a good thing when Tails got that look in his eyes. Half of the time, one of his guinea pigs would get toasted, or have some ill side-affect that lasted for weeks. Sonic probably still remembered the Time machine, which succeeded only in making Sonic's quills turn green from all the radiation, man, Tails thought he'd never forget about that. Then there was the Shrink ray, which made all of Amy's quills fall OUT. Maaaan, Tails still had that crescent shaped scar from where she went on a rampage with a butcher knife. And who could forget the 'invincible gel'. All that did was make flowers grow out of Cream's ears. She actually kind of liked it, but, you know.

The other half of the time, the invention actually worked, and it was SO good, everyone would fight over it and be at each other's throats and just pester the poor foxteen so much he'd eventually put it in the 'Vaporizer', which looked an awful lot like a recycling bin straight off the Jetsons. Such disasters included the cloner, the invisability potion, the mushroom form of Ritalin (XD WTF) and of coarse, the virtual reality helmet… he actually made a lot of money of that one, heh.

The inventions usually turned out like a bad episode of Dexter's lab, and Sonic KNEW it. However, one bad thing that Tails developed over the years was stubbornness, and no matter what the consequence of his action, he just kept inventing. He had that sort of disease, you know.

This time, after hearing the scent theory, he set his sights on making a hypnotic weapon… Just think of the pranks he could pull! After all, he was a teenage boy, and those never come without a hefty share o' mischief. Not to mention it could be a huge convenience if he were to cause one of his friendships to falter, which was something he often worried about.

With hard determination in his eyes, Tails started drawing out the prints of what would surely be his best invention yet.

End chapter (MYAHAHA!) 

So, did you like it? Did you laugh? Were you moved to tears? Or are you dis-satisfied? There's a lot more to read, so keep going… the others are longer than this one.

YiffyOne


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here's chapter 2. As usual, I hate burn in hell, burn in hell you bastards, blah blah blah…

Anyway, here I go! **_Miles 'Foxy' Prower, Chapter 2: "Tails, the great inventor"_**

Tails scowled, his first experiment ending in failure. He didn't expect to get it right the first time… after all, he knew far too little about what scents to use… he was flying by the seat of his pants here.

"Hmm… no good, I need more data." The young fox said to himself, putting the first liquidy substance in a vial, and labeling it 'attempt #1'.

He had to put all of his failures in a vial, just to make sure he didn't make the same mistake twice. Tails decided to take a visit to the second most all-knowing being in the universe, next to God… the internet.

Tails had the best computer, software, AND hardware than anyone else he knew, bar Eggman. He'd put it together himself, managing to create a mini-semi-super-computer, MSSC, or "Missy" as he called it. It took him virtually no time to start up, enter his password, and have the info he was searching for displayed in front of him. Tails was a faster typer than anybody around. Probably even Eggman. His keyboard used the original, faster abcdef setup, rather than what most humans today used, qwerty, which according to his resources, was purposefully created to slow down typing in order to make typewriters jam up less. But those being obsolete, now, the foxteen found it rather foolish to cling to the slower setup, just because you're too lazy to learn the faster one.

Tails clicked around the website until he saw the first word that might be affective to hypnotism. "Arousing". Now, Tails had quite a different definition of the word playing in his head, he actually misread the word and saw "Rousing", which was the word he was looking for. Tails clicked it and it took him to a scientific theory on what scents were considered most arousing in women. Tails was eager to get his experiment underway, and, naïve thing, totally ignored any and every sentence that might suggest what he was getting himself into.

"Ok… looks like a mixture of a strong aroma of lavender and wild strawberries is most affective in rousing the attention of females… Let's try that." Tails muttered to himself.

Tails had to go out to get ingredients for this experiment, luckily for him, there were nice specimens of both these growing in the chao garden , which was quite close to his workshop. He snatched a rucksack, which he used for such things, and threw it over his shoulder. He twisted his two, fluffy tails together, and simply lifted himself off the ground, as he preferred over walking.

His flying had gotten a lot faster over the years. He still couldn't keep up with Sonic, but then again, nobody could. Tails became dependent on flying over time… he had to run a lap around Mystic Ruin every morning, for fear his legs might atrophy. However, it became quite a strength, using his tails all the time. The muscles inside of them built up, until eventually, they were more powerful than any other muscle in his body. He could overpower just about anyone but Knuckles if he used them. But then again, Tails was also just as peaceful as he ever was, so he'd probably never use this strength unless he had to defend himself.

Before you could say "Antidisestablishmentarianism" (real word ) Tails had arrived in his workshop with lots and lots of both ingredients. He ground them up, until they were a orangish sort of paste. Tails wanted the concoction to work on both genders, so he figured he would add a few aromas he liked as well.

He opened up the fridge, and looked at all the assorted foods inside pensively.

"Ok, OJ… hmmm… grapefruit… vanilla icecream…. and… oh what the heck, I think I'll mix in a slice of pizza, too." Tails said, grinning. He carried all the things into the other room where all his materials and tools were. He dropped all the things into a huge blender, optimistic that this experiment would be a success. He mixed all the stuff up, his bizarre looking monster of a margarita machine making quite a clamor. He dumped the stuff, of a color I couldn't possibly describe into the mixture, and it created a hot pink liquid. Tails took a whiff…. His eyes teared up and he began to gag.

"HACK Wh-what in the- wheeze MY EYES!" Tails said, coughing uncontrollably.

Needles to say, this aroma was completely and utterly repugnant. Tails hated it so much, he instantly put it in the 'attempt #2' vial and sealed it up. He threw the rest into the ocean, hoping it wouldn't kill any fish, or poison the water.

"Ugggh! That was the most rotten thing I've ever smelled! It's worse than sulfuric acid! Bleck!" Tails half shouted, spraying Febreeze throughout his workshop.

Cream the Rabbit sat boredly in her room, thinking about various things, as she aimlessly looked at the ceiling. She sighed deeply.

"I think I'll call Amy…" she said… indifferently. Cream wasn't like Sonic or Tails, always on an adventure… she had loads and loads of free time, just to sit around, and worry about them, especially for Tails.

Generally in her free time she'd talk to Amy, who never had much to do but chase Sonic about, the pink hedgehog's never ending favorite passtime.

Over the years Cream developed all the parts ladies are supposed to develop, and thensome. She managed to always retain that girl-like cuteness, and yet, also a ladylike attractiveness at the same time. Amy, more often than not, was jealous of how good Cream looked. She, however, never seemed to realize it, naivity seeming to be something she kept through the years. Most agreed, though, that this was cute. Her voice had only changed a little bit. It wasn't EXTREMELY high anymore, but I digress, it was a lot higher than the normal voice, even for a girl her age, which was 13 and a half as of today.

Unfortunately, you don't get to celebrate half birthdays, so Cream had, quite sadly, nothing at all to do.

She picked up the phone, which was white and cordless. She dialed the familiar number of Amy Rose and, after several rings, heard that familiar voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi Amy."

"Oh, Hello Cream. Is something the matter?" Amy said. This is usually what she said when Cream called for no apparent reason.

"Well… I'm bored. Do you wanna do something? Go to a movie, shop at the mall, take a trip to the park?" Cream inquired, hopefully. Amy thought it over.

"Hmmm… weeeeeell. I really don't feel like doing anything today. Can't we just talk on the phone?" Amy said. Sometimes she just got lazy like that. The girl really had mellowed out over the years.

"Well… Ok… what do you wanna talk about?" Cream asked.

"Well, I heard from Sonic that Tails is working on a new invention!" Amy said, sounding excited. Cream tittered.

"Uh oh!" she said jokingly.

"Hahaha, I wonder if this one'll actually work?"

"Oh… Tails is so smart, he can do anything… I think…" Cream said in a dreamy voice.

Amy laughed. Of coarse, just about everyone but Tails himself knew that Cream had a MASSIVE crush on him. Like, semi Amy-Sonic stuff. She was obsessed with him, yeah, but she didn't worship the ground he walked on, like Amy with Sonic. At least not quite as openly.

"Aww, that's so sweet! I wish you would hurry up and ask him out. You two would make the most adorable couple!" Amy cheered. On the other side of the line, Cream was blushing madly.

"Y-you really think so?" Cream said, twiddling her thumbs and smiling goofily.

"Well, DUH! You two are only the most innocent people I know! Innocent is cute!" Amy said.

"Ohh… thanks Amy… but I'm not brave enough to make the first move… you know that…" Cream trailed.

"Well, the guys are sposed' to make the first move, I know, but Tails is one of those hardheaded guys! Sometimes you just gotta do something to get their attention!" Amy said, from experience.

"Uhh… like what?" Cream asked, curious, and slightly desperate, but not wanting to sound like it.

"Well… I dunno, wear a nice perfume... compliment him… Wink every once in a while… imply! Tails isn't as much of a dumb-dumb as Sonic, Cream, one implication that you're crazy about im' is enough of a message for that _sly foxboy…"_ On the other side of the phone, Amy winked. She was never attracted to Tails, but she saw him as a VERRRRRRY eligible person, should Sonic ever become ungettable. Amy was just the type that needed someone to cling to.

"Hey, don't get any ideas, now." the sweet little rabbit said, rather seriously, not liking the way Amy said those last two words.

"Hahaha… chill out, girl, it was just a joke! I'm not out to get your foxy baby." She said, teasing.

"He's not my foxy baby!" Cream said, defensively. Apparently Amy still remembered the one time Cream called Tails that, on accident of coarse.

"Hahahaha! You're so easy." Amy chortled.

"Hehe… you better quit that…" the bunny warned.

"Ohh, I'm shaking in my boots. So anyway, Sonic never told me what the invention was gonna be. What do you think it'll be?"

"Oh… I don't know." Cream said, having no idea.

"Well, I know one thing, if he needs a test subject, I'M sure not steppin' up." Amy said, a hint of anger in her zesty voice. Cream giggled.

"Oh right. We don't need your quills falling out again."

"DON'T REMIND ME. Urrrghh! I could still just…. choke that punk!" Amy said, remembering how angry she was when it first happened. Not to mention the week after.

"Calm down Amy… you already gave Tails a scar to remember on his cheek." Cream responded, in a bit of a scared voice. Most people knew better than to EVER screw with Amy Rose.

"Well… I guess it's not ALL bad. After they grew back, I DID looked a lot thinner…" Amy said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Y-yeah! You should be thanking Tai.."

"I wouldn't go THAT far…" The pink time bomb interrupted.

Cream sweatdropped on the other side of the phone. Amy was likely the scariest person she knew.

Over the coarse of the next week, Tails had 20 more tries, and 20 more miserable failures.

"AAAAAAAARG!" the frustrated fox shouted at the top of his lungs, tearing some of the fur out of his head.

That marked the 21st consecutive failure… and the young inventor was just about ready to give up.

He put the liquid into another of the failed vials, seeing that this was the last one, as he only had 21 of them. His stand however only carried 20.

Without really realizing it, he took number 2 and set it out to the side, and replaced it with number 21. His Vial Stand was built in to his counter, so there was never a worry of any spills. He really needed another one, though.

Tails sighed and went to the lounge. It was getting late and he figured he could get a fresh start tomorrow. He looked at the Hypno Gun, which was already built. It looked somewhat like a squirt gun, but it had a hypnotic plate on the front of it, which was designed to spin. It was just for looks, as there was a hidden compartment on the side to put the liquid scent that's to be ejected in particles on the target, invisibly of coarse. But without the proper solution, Tails' invention could never work!

"Blast." He muttered to himself, as he shuffled drowsily to his bathroom.

He brushed his teeth, took all his clothes off, which usually consisted of a vest, some shorts, and his trademark red and white sneakers. This was his usual routine in getting ready for bed, if you're wondering. He turned all the lights off, and felt his way to his bed. All the while lots of thoughts were going through his head.

Tails, for one reason or another, got his best ideas in the dark. Just as the fox was about to fall asleep, BANG! The idea of a lifetime hit him like a ton of bricks. The idea jolted him awake.

"That's IT!" He shouted with glee.

He ran as quick as his legs would take him, so excited in fact, he didn't bother to put his clothes back on, or turn any of the lights back on on his way into the other side of the workshop. He bumped into various things, stubbed his toe, but for the most part, he knew where he was going. Or so he thought.

Upon getting in the proper room, Tails ran toward some of the ingredients he gathered. However, his foot got caught on a cord, the cord connected to his bunsen burner, to be exact.

Unfortunately, it was very light, and flew across the room, as Tails hit the ground, face first, and with a grunt. The cord knocked off a familiar vial, which was set aside from the stand of the other vials, and it flew right onto Tails' back, shattering and soaking his naked fur with the contents.

But that's not all. No, the burner flew into yet another vial, which was on the other side of the room. It was used in a different experiment, and contained a mystery chemical that Tails had discovered, but had yet to study. The glass broke as the burner smashed into it, and the tar-like fluids seeped out… slowly, until a single drop came off the table and landed on the temporarily K.O.ed fox's hide, evaporating as soon as it touched him. For a second, Tails' fur seemed to glow pink, before fading.

A delectable and very wonderful scent could be inhaled throughout the room, resonating from the young foxteen's furry body…

End chapter 

Myahahahaha! So, are you on the edge of your seat! I know it's not logical to review each chapter individually, but I'd vastly appreciate it! I really hope you're liking what you read… And the next chapter's only a click away. You lucky person.

YiffyOne


	3. Chapter 3

Um… before I forget, seeing as how easy it is to get your story removed from some of these sites, I suppose I'd better do this…

Disclaimer: It should be obvious that I own none of these characters, their world, or anything else affiliated with Sega… I'm only gonna do this once, so if you delete my FANfiction because of this shit, I'll fucking kill you.

Anyway, let's get this show on the road! **_Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 3: "Hey joggerboy!"_**

"….Ohhhhhh… my head…." Tails groaned, pushing himself up and feeling the knot on the top of his head. He hissed in pain when he touched it.

Suddenly Tails smelled something. It was actually kind of nice… though a bit girly. He sniffed and sniffed for the source, but he didn't seem to notice it was coming from him. Oh well, he thought. He then noticed his position in the floor, totally naked.

"Now I remember… Owch… I must have tripped… what a mess!" Tails uttered.

He got up and looked around. Surely enough, there was broken glass everywhere, and his burner was totally ruined. Not to mention…

"Oh no! I've got chemicals all over me!" Tails said, noting that the mystery chemical he discovered about a month ago was also broken, and a pool of it had formed around him.

Tails didn't remember the chemical being acidic, but it was still very dangerous to get any type of solution that was as volatile as it was on his fur. He had to take a shower immediately. The still nude fox could see despite the lights being off, as apparently, it was morning. He'd been laying in that stuff all night.

He carefully tiptoed around the shards of broken glass, and made his way to his bathroom as quick as he could. He had no clothes on, which was rather convenient, and he jumped into the shower immediately, and switched it on.

He showered, thoroughly washing every inch of him. Eventually, the steam in the room began to mix with a familiar aroma… the one he'd been smelling since he regained consciousness. He sniffed the soap. Nope, that wasn't it. He shrugged and decided to take it in stride. After all, it wasn't a BAD smell, just a peculiar one.

-----

The infamous Blue Blur speeded down the highway, zigzagging between cars, too fast for the naked eye. As Sonic always said, he preferred to think on his feet.

"Pah. Tails has been locked up in his workshop for a week now. Usually by now he'd have either given up, or succeeded…" The hedgehog thought. He vaguely considered running to the Mystic Ruins to check up on his little buddy, but before he could… he tripped on something.

Sonic fell down, with an ack, being too consumed by thought to notice whatever it was he tripped on, and he bounced down the sidewalk for about 39 feet before he finally stopped.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWCH!" He said highly exaggerating the pain he actually felt, so pretty much everyone in the vicinity could hear. He was in Station Square now.

"Hahahahaha! I can't believe you actually 'fell' for that!" Rouge cackled.

Sonic picked himself up, and dusted himself off. He wasn't really hurt, as he was quite versatile, and if you run as fast as he does, you gotta expect to fall sometimes. He wasn't hurt, but he also didn't find Rouge's extremely lame pun very humorous.

"Dangit, Rouge! Can't you stick your leg out without trippin' me up?" Sonic fumed. An imaginary halo appeared above the mischievous bat's head.

"Whaaaaat? I was hitchhiking!" She claimed. Sonic shook his head.

"Ohhhhhh no, I'm not fallin' for THAT one again! You tripped me on purpose! And why would you need to hitchhike! You have wings!" Sonic yelled, making a cartoony scene right in the middle of a gathering crowd. He looked embarrassed , and sweatdropped. "Uhhh…"

"Alright alright, nothing to see here, go on, your lives don't revolve around us, now. Get!" Rouge said, shooing the people away. Sonic tried to slug her, but he missed, succeeding only in making her laugh. She gracefully glided upwards, sat atop a lightpost, and crossed her legs, "Heeeey, didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a lady?" She mused.

"Hmmph. Show off. So, why exactly did you trip me?" Sonic asked, crossing his arms.

"Well… how else was I supposed to get you're attention? A closeline?" Rouge said, through a smirk. Of all of the guys and girls in the group, Rouge and Sonic were the two that hadn't changed a bit.

"Well, a 'Hey Sonic, over here!' would have worked." Sonic announced.

"You dipstick, you were traveling faster than sound." Rouge said, scolding Sonic for his ignorance.

"Huh? Oh, WAS I?" Sonic said, not even realizing that. Yup. Sonic ran a little faster everyday it seemed. Now he could not only reach, but BREAK the sound barrier. Rouge slapped her forehead hopelessly.

"You're impossible!" The bat cried.

"Ok Ok, sorry, sorry. What is it you want?" Sonic said, serious this time.

"Well… you see… very recently I've had a very important item stolen from me… I want you to find out who took it so I can BEAT THE PULP OUT OF THAT LITTLE.." Rouge made an air gesture of holding someone in a headlock and knocking their face in.

"…Uh…?" Sonic said, sweatdropping. Rouge, sweatdropped as well and tried to contain herself.

"Uh.. erhm… anyway, Sonic darling, could you be a doll and track down that person for me…?" Rouge said, trying and failing to look innocent.

"You're the treasure hunter, not me." Sonic stated, bluntly. At that, a vein popped out of the Bat's head, and she half considered going down there and punting Sonic into a building.

"Oh… just… come on… please? For me?" Rouge pleaded, trying to conceal her wrath, which was more likely even worse than Amy's at times. Sonic considered.

"Well… I'm no detective… but what was it that you had stolen?" The lightning fast hero asked. Rouge looked left… then right. She then made a motion for Sonic to come closer.

"Hey… I'm not comin' up there! You come down here!" Sonic said, putting his arms behind his head.

Rouge's face seemed to melt off, leaving a firebreathing skull that shot lightning from it's eye sockets. Needless to say, Sonic was irritating the piss out of her. Or maybe she was aggravated about something else…? She did however, comply, making sure to land, HARD on Sonic's noggin on her way down, causing him to keel over, anime-style.

"There! Happy now?" Rouge hissed.

"Oww! Man, what is EATIN' you!" Sonic said, rubbing his head.

Rouge answered his question by grabbing his head, and pulling his ear up to her mouth. She then whispered in it, so nobody else could hear. Sonic's eyes shrunk.

"What! Someone nabbed your undies!" Sonic shouted, so that probably everyone in Station Square turned around to stare at them. Rouge konked Sonic on the head.

"SHUT UP YOU BLUE BAFOON!" She snarled at him.

"OWCH! Dangit, woman, stop hitting me!" the hero commanded her.

"Sorry… You just have to understand, this is really messed up and it's making me crazy!" Rouge said.

"What's the big deal anyway, it's just a thong." Sonic said, closing his eyes in a laid back manner.

"They cost $300 at Victoria's secret!" Rouge said, waving her arms in the air. Sonic's mouth dropped to the ground.

"Whaaaaaaaaat? What were they? Jewel encrusted!"

"YES!"

"Oh… um, well, just steal another pair!" Sonic said, shrugging. Rouge cocked back her boot, ready to fire. "OK OK! I'll do it! Just chill out you crazy broad!" Sonic wailed, waving his hands. Looks like he was inevitably gonna get snaked into this wild goose chase…

------

Tails got out of the shower, feeling refreshed, and no longer sticky. He shook as much of the water as he could off himself, then he turned on one of his niftiest inventions, the furdryer. (Looks an awful lot like a giant hand dryer, you know, those thingies that you push the button and it goes Whhhhhooooooo and shoots hot air out on your hands? You can find them in bathrooms in many restaurants.)

Within no time at all, Mr. Prower was all dry and ready to go. He went into his small bedroom and put some fresh clothes on. Another vest, and more shorts… predictable, but oh well.

He strapped his shoes on, and stood up, trying to remember what the idea he had last night was… He tried, but to no avail. He simply couldn't recall what it was.

"Hmmph. Oh well. The Hypno Gun was a dumb idea anyway." He told himself. Then he realized something…

"sniffing… dangit, what IS that!" Tails said, in minor frustration. He finally sniffed himself.

"Huh? It's me…? But I just took a shower! Maybe it WAS the soap…" Tails thought.

"Hrmm… maybe I'm just freaking out." He finally concluded.

Right now he felt like taking his morning jog. A good shower always invigorated him. He put a sweatband on his wrist and jogged out the door.

As he ran down the steps toward the other side of the Ruins, the warm breeze that greeted his face was nice. He smiled. Today was going to be a good day. The birds were singing, the bees were buzzing, and it seemed like everything about today was just perfect! In no time at all, he neared the end of his lap.

Upon finishing the lap, Tails got joggers high, and decided to do an extra lap today. It wouldn't hurt, right? (heh, wrong. :p)

About halfway through his jog, an adult woman waved Tails over.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Young man, can you help me?" The lady said, looking worried. Now, Tails had a good heart, as he always did, he'd probably do anything for you if you asked nicely enough. He stopped and began jogging in place next to her. He was working up a good sweat. The woman was taller than him, as most adult humans were.

"Sure ma'am, what is it you need?" He said. The lady sniffed a little. Tails wondered if she had a cold. All the sudden she looked at him, as if entranced. Tails thought he may have had something on his face?

"Hmmmm. You know, you look really good, Jogger boy. What do you say you and I go get a cup of coffee…?" The woman purred. Tails was baffled. He blushed a little bit. He'd never been hit on by a human before.

"Uh… excuse me? I thought you needed…" Tails was interrupted by the woman scooping him up and hugging him like he was some sort of teddy bear.

"OHHH! What I need is YOU, you foxy little thing you!" The woman raved.

Tails at this point was frantically trying to break free from this crazy woman's grip. He concluded that she was simply a lunatic, and she scared him. A LOT.

"Hey hey! Lemme go! I need an adult! I NEED AN ADULT! Hey… HEY! Don't TOUCH me there! Just who do you think you are lady?" Tails finally managed to break away by twisting his duet of tails and flying out of the woman's grasp. He flew away as fast as he could. The woman chased him halfway through the forest before he lost her.

He landed on a cliff, over seeing the forest close to the Mystic Ruin. He sat down and sighed.

"What was THAT all about!" The fox said, aiming the question at nobody in particular.

----+

A familiar Echidna sat on the Angel Island, ever diligent, ever alert, ever aware. A gargantuan emerald spun slowly on it's perch behind him. Yep, one things for sure, nobody would get to the Emerald while this heroic guardian was on duty… Nobody.

"Hey Knuckles! Look, I'm gonna take a pee on the Master Emerald!" A familiar voice said from behind the unawares Knux. He flipped around and his eyes bugged out cartoonishly. The swift hedgehog made a crude gesture toward the Emerald.

"S-S-Sonic! YOU'D BETTER NOT!" Knuckles barked at him, shaking a fist.

"Hahaha! Just a joke, Knucklehead. Oh, by the way, did you swipe any of Rouge's panties recently?" Sonic inquired. Knuckles thought he was joking, and it wasn't very funny.

"What! Ok, that's it, put up yer dukes!" The echidna shouted.

"Chill dude, I'm serious! Did you?" Sonic said, trying not to laugh at Knuckles' expression.

"You're barkin' up the wrong tree, buddy!" the red guardian roared, still not convinced, partially cuz Sonic was snickering now.

"Snick No… seriously pffft did you? You're not a sniffer, are ya? chuckle You know you want that thong!" After saying that, Sonic burst out in hysterical laughter, and Knuckles made an enraged attempt to pop im' one. Sonic dodged, knowing of his hot temper.

"Huh… so I guess you didn't do it… well then. Catcha later!"

With that, the blue streak zoomed by his friend and out of sight, leaving Knuckles confused, angry, and a little aroused at the thought that Rouge wears a thong…

**End Chapter!**

Hahaha, did you laugh? This is one of the funniest chapters in my opinion… but I could be wrong…

Please please please please review. If you review… well, you get the satisfaction of knowing you made me very happy. Plus, if you want me to continue this story, reviewing not just the latest, but EVERY chapter would certainly make me get my rear in gear… so please, REVIEW.

YiffyOne


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, originally, there'd be things I once called 'skits' here, but they're against site regulations, so if you want them, ask me, and I'll send them to you personally… they WERE extremely popular on as they were absolutely hilarious, or so I was told. It's worth getting them, I suppose, if you want a good laugh. -

Here we goooo! **_Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 4: "A Cracked Egg"_**

Cream was in heaven. She couldn't believe her luck… here she was, with Tails, on the beach, alone! It was quite simply put, too good to be true.

And get this, just when she thought the scenery couldn't get more perfect, the sky turned a silvery shade, and a light rain started. _Perfect_! No other word existed to describe this moment, she thought to herself.

"Hehehe… Tails… this is nice." She stated simply, blushing a light pink. Tails smiled in a way only he could.

"Yeah. it really is…" He said, almost seductively, as his perfectly formed teenage voice seemed to calm the waves. The bunnygirl tittered, and looked shyly into his eyes…

Those eyes, blue as the skies… it was enough to make her wonder if he'd took to the sky so often, that his irises took on their brilliant hue. Cream sat there, admiring them for a moment, and they seemed to get closer, as she found herself drowning in them… Cream knew Tails was moving in to give her that long awaited kiss… she wanted to leap for joy, but at the same time, was completely at ease, and totally captivated…

The distance between their lips lessened, and lessened, until finally, it faded away entirely….!

"Chao! Chao chao! chaaaaaaoooo!" Cheese whined, rousing the the rabbit from her slumber. She drowsily sat up from the couch, wiping her eyes. She wouldn't have realized it, but she looked horribly cute, the fur of her head messed up like that. She always did roll around a lot in her sleep.

(Love scenes real ones don't come until waaaaaay later in my story, but Cross Rabbit wanted some now, so I threw in that little dream sequence in, just for her. Yup, it doesn't hurt to make requests people! I know it was unfathomably short, but I hope you enjoyed it, Crossy!)

"Ch… Cheese? What is it…?" the bunny asked herself. Her surroundings slowly blurred back into view. She was in her living room, and the TV was still on.

"Oh… I must have fallen asleep while watching Hamtaro… (CUUUUUTE! Sorry, that line is just so sweet coming from Cream… as you can see, she's still adorably childish. )… so it WAS just a dream… darn… I thought it might have been real this time…" Cream sulked. She had dreams like that a lot nowadays… they were both nice, and a little sad, since they weren't real. Cream felt lovesick.

"Chao!" Cheese squealed. He was hungry. Cream pushed herself upward onto her rather well formed legs. Slender, but not as much as they used to be, you get it. She walked into the kitchen, and looked for some chao numnums. She opened the fridge and pulled out a piece of the cantaloupe-like fruit from the chao garden in Station Square. She cut it in half, put it on a plate, and set it on a table.

Cheese immediately flew over to it and started snarfing it down. He thanked Cream gleefully, with juices squirting from his little mouth. The spongy ball that floated perpetually above that tiny head morphed into a little heart. Yes, the way to the chao's 'heart' was doubtlessly through his stomach.

Cream sighed. Even her peppy little pet couldn't cheer her up when she thought about Tails. Just knowing that he had no clue she even existed. It was strange… no boy she'd ever met seemed to have any trouble whatsoever noticing the bunnygirl… Sonic and Knuckles, (believe it or not) seemed vaguely interested at times. As well as an older Chris. (I'm doing this fic as a mixture of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 as well as Sonic X and the Sonic Advance Series, just so you know.) Not to mention humans of all colors showed curiousity in what it would be like date a girl with long ears. (Just so you know, Cream is, in my story, considered by all to be drop-dead gorgeous.) Yes, it seemed like she was constantly turning members of the opposite sex down… She hated to see the look on their faces when she did, poor little soft-hearted thing.

After a moment, Cream shook herself free of her earlier pessimism. She was being pathetic. Amy was right, she had to strengthen her resolve, and go out there and do something to make that boy notice her!

….But what was there to do? She thought… and she thought some more… she thought until the faculties of her precious little head spun out of socket. Maybe she should call Amy back…? No, she couldn't depend on Amy ALL the time. It was much of the same way Tails used to be with Sonic… then he got stronger. And it wasn't Sonic's strength, nor Sonic's example that strengthened him, it was Tails' own inner strength, unleashing all by itself. Cream really admired that.

"Cheese." Cream said, her tone of voice shrouded in thought.

"Chao chao!" The chao responded, having finished his meal.

"C'mon. We're going shopping!" She said, doing a cute little pose.

---------+

Tails walked back to his workshop slowly, hoping that the insane lady was gone. Around every corner he stuck his head slowly and timidly out, looking left, then right. He did NOT want that woman to know where he lived. By the time he was about half there he sprinted, screaming with nervousness, using his tails like some sort of propellor to propel himself forward more swiftly. He opened and slammed the door of his workshop behind him, letting out a sigh of relief… he was home free.

"Well, it's about TIME you got back, you know I hate waiting!" A voice said from within his residence.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Tails shrieked, his fur standing up on end for a moment.

"…What's bitin' you?" The Sonic inquired, tilting his head. (Yup, that's the great thing about Sonic… he's always on the move, so you can panel him in even if he should be in another place :P)

"Oh… Sonic, it's just you…" Tails said, with vast relief. Sonic gave a disdainful look.

"Peh, good to see you, too." He said, with a gesture.

"Sorry… I just… Well, it's nothing. What is it you want?" The fox asked.

"I thought you'd never ask! See, Rouge has got me on this wild goose chase, and… well, you know, I don't wanna… so… could you…?" Sonic gently prodded. Tails saw where this was going.

"Nuh-uhh, Mister Hero, I'm not doing you're homework for you. Remember the last time you asked me to do you a favor?" Tails said scornfully, like an adult scolding a child. Sonic sweatdropped at the mention of what was only to be referred to as 'the incident'.

Flashback

"Hey Tails, can you scratch my back?" Sonic asked, trying to reach the confounded itchy spot.

"Uh… but you're a hedgehog…Oo" Tails said, too smart to fall for that.

"Oh, c'mon! They're not THAT sharp! Pleeeeeeeeeaase!" The now weakened hero pleaded.

"But I've seen you cut titanium robots in half with that buzzsaw thingy!" Tails said, coherently.

"I'll give you a HERTZ donut!" Sonic bribed.

"Ohhhh! I wuuuuuuv donuts!" Tails said, naively.

(1 minute later)

"OMG! I THINK YOU CUT ONE OF MY FINGERS OFF!"

"No no no hehe.. uh, it's just a little scrape! It'll stop bleeding in a minute!"

end flashback

Tails stared at Sonic with his 'I'm smart, you're dumb, now bow before me' look. Sonic sweatdropped.

"Hey, hey! I said I was sorry! I mean, at least you gave me a good Christmas present that year! I loved that backscratcher!" Sonic said, in a poor attempt to squeeze his way out of Tails' inevitable lecture.

"….Sonic, you used that backscratcher as a weapon to try and destroy one of Eggman's robots. And you missed." The two-tailed titan of logic countered.

"…Hey, wait a minute…" Sonic said, making a deductive gesture. He pointed an accusing finger at his friend. "…Are you saying I have bad aim!" Sonic said, rather humorously, really. Tails rolled his eyes. Sonic was hopeless sometimes.

"Forget it…" Tails said. Sonic wiped his brow, off the hook for the time.

Tails was too smart for his own good sometimes. And when you screw up, he's bound to give you a really long lecture. There was nothing in the world Sonic hated more than sitting around for hours, confused over a single large word as his friend sputtered sentence after sentence, explaining who knows what to him.

"Heh…" Sonic said, not having much else to add.

"Hey Sonic…" Tails began, gaining Sonic's momentary attention, "You never did give me my HERTZ donut, you know…" He stated. Sonic grinned for no appearant reason.

"Oh, that's right! I DO owe you a HERTZ donut! Hold on just a second!" Sonic said, cocking his starting leg back, and zooming out the door, leaving only skidmarks, dust, and a lot of wind in his wake.

And apparently, Sonic wasn't using any figurative speeches, as he was back within, ask anyone, was doubtlessly a mere second. He was holding a paper bag with a huge grin plastered to his face.

"Sweet! gimme gimme!" Tails said, jumping up and down childishly. (this whole scene is so chibi XD). Sonic reached into the bag…

"Ok, buddy… here's you delicious… scrumptious… taste-bud tantalizing HERTZ donut!" Sonic said, making sure to build up the suspense.

Suddenly, Sonic pulled his gloved fist out of the bag and suckerpunched Tails on his forehead. (not HARD, but just a playful bop)

"Owch! XX" the flying foxboy peeped, surprised.

"HERTZ… donut! HAHAHAHAHA!" The hero guffawed uncontrollably, rolling around on the floor in sheer hysteria.

Tails, however, did not find such an immature gesture even vaguely humorous.

"Ohhh…. SOOOONIIIIIIC…….!" The enraged fox growled, his highly exaggurated anime-like fury shooting up in flames as he gripped the nearest blunt object and raised it in the air violently!

However, Sonic was already gone. Tails sweatdropped.

"Hit and run, huh? I'll get him for this!" The foxboy vowed.

(Just to let you know, this scene was not a serious argument between Sonic and Tails. If it were, it would have been written more seriously. P They were just goofin' around, like all good friends do. And anyway, the character of Sonic and Tails don't have the right properties to conflict that much. Tails is quite peaceful, and Sonic doesn't generally pick fights, so they rarely argue. They both like to joke around though.)

-----+

In another place, a very very different place, the setting was less cartoony, and more hardcore dreary. An empire, it seemed, of steel and bolts, nuts and gears enshrined a criminal mastermind, hidden from the entire world as this maliciously intelligent madman plotted his next scheme. His goal: World domination.

The infamous Dr. Eggman fidgeted with his florescent orange mustache, a sign that the dastardly gears in his brain were hard at work. His jet-black shades flashed in the light mysteriously as a tiny, however profoundly clever robot brought him his super evil… horrible… simply and utterly dreadful…..!

"Ah, my tea!" The so-called 'heartless' doctor announced happily as he took it from the metal servant.

The mad scientist sipped from the little pink cup with an uncharacteristic glee, his pinky extended.

"Oh hohoho! Nothing like a good cup of tea! Right, Respondobot34!" Eggman asked his latest invention, which was crude-looking RC car with a walkie-talkie duck-taped to the top.

"Yes doctor. Nothing like it." The static covered voice responded. Eggman's robots had gotten considerably more… shoddy. Perhaps he just lacked funds. Perhaps his egg was finally beginning to crack…

Eggman, over the years, had ceased to be a threat, and slowly morphed into nothing more than an annoyance. However, his IQ stood at 300, super genius, so he found his ways to pester the Sonic gang still. They were merely a bit more… erh, indirect.

(by the way, cross the whole 'evil fortress of steel and profoundly clever little robot' stuff I said, earlier. I was just being dramatic ;o This was all merely an illusion of Eggman's mind… Eggman's sitting in mechanically altered golf cart that looks like it'll blow any minute, and he's got a little toy from radioshack serving him drinks. Yes! In my story, Eggman's completely and delightfully insane! Oh, also, scratch that IQ 300 part too. Eggman is now mentally retarded. HAHAHA! I'm so evil!)

"Hrrmm. Now, how shall I go about removing that pest, Sonic…?" The doctor thought aloud. A tiny lightbulb appeared above his head.

"I've got it! I'll build a giant robot!" Eggman said, sickeningly happy. The Respondobot34 spinned around on it's wheels.

"Genius. You're a genius." It stated simply. Eggman let out his ladylike evil-laugh.

"Ain't it the truth?" He said, as he drew a crude blueprint of what was to be his 'masterpiece' on a used napkin with a purple crayon. He spelled 'big robot' wrong.

"Your plan will get Sonic this time for sure." The Respondobot34 claimed, completely ignoring the fact that Sonic has managed to destroy every single one of Eggman's generic giant robots in the past, effortlessly.

"HEE HEE HEE! Look out, you little rodent! Eggy's got a NUUUU GIANT ROYBOT! "

(Ok ok, before you FLAME the hell out of me, let me apologize in advance, you Eggman fans out there. I've got nothing against Eggman at all. In fact, I think he's a cool as heck bad guy. I halfway thought about making him one of the good guys in this fic. But you see, half the fic's genre is humor, and I need some, at the very least, desert dry comedy. And c'mon! You gotta admit, this is GOLD! lmao)

------+

A certain flying fox soared through the sky, a mere dot in the air, if you were looking from the ground. He nibbled on half a grilled cheese sandwich as he made his way over Station square, his destination being Amy's apartment. He had no intention of continuing the Hypno Gun, and he really didn't have much to do, so he decided to go to her place and retrieve his Gameboy DS, which she'd had for the longest time.

Yeah, you guessed it, amongst Tails' many talents was a supreme video game-playing ability. He had little time for them, so he ended up letting whoever asked borrow his systems and hand-helds.

His collection included a PS3,(this is set in the future, don't forget.) an X-box 360, and a DS. Although, you couldn't really call it much of a collection seeing as none of the above were currently in his possession. Amy had the last, Chris had the X-box 360, and Sonic 'confiscated' the PS3. It was strange. Sonic did LIVE with Tails, after all. Then again, the superintelligent fox never knew when it came to Sonic. He was rather simplistically complex.

The vulpine pilot finished his sandwich and shrugged mid-air. As fast as Sonic was, he had more freedom to go wherever he wanted than even a bird. He'd doubtlessly been all over the world. Tails jogged a lap around Mystic Ruin every morning, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Sonic the Hedgehog ran a lap around the whole country every morning.

Tails arrived at the building where Amy lived. He walked up some stairs, and counted the doors down to room 214. Though, a normal individual wouldn't go by number when finding Amy's apartment, considering that the door was painted pinker than a flamingo.

Tails knocked, hoping to get what he came for and leave before the Sonic-chasing chatterbox roped him into a conversation. Tails liked Amy, he really did, but he wasn't her girlfriend. Honestly, he didn't mind talking, but he really didn't have much in common with the girl, and looked at things from a very different perspective than she did. He was a realist, and she was an idealist. Generally she would just keep talking and talking and talking to him, and he would simply nod at the very small, opportune moments inbetween her sentences. This could go on for hours.

Not only that, but Amy's furniture, her floor, her walls, virtually EVERYTHING in her house was pink. Tails began to question if she secretly conducted a religion revolving around the color, because it seemed like she was more obsessed with it than even Sonic.

Tails stopped thinking about it as he waited for her to answer. This was Amy Rose, his friend. He shouldn't be thinking about her so disdainfully. He decided to take it in stride and consider the fact that he had a friend with pink silverware… 'eccentric', rather than a probably much truer 'totally bizarre'.

Tails looked at the wristwatch under his glove impatiently. Maybe she wasn't home? He knocked again.

"Hold yer horses! I'm coming!" Came Amy's voice. Tails chuckled. She sounded so irritated… probably thought it was another door-to-door salesman. She was the only one who lived in the city, bar Chris, so she was constantly being provoked by such nuisances.

The door opened, and a aggravated expression quickly reverted to a welcoming smile. Tails waved in a friendly manner.

"Oh, Tails! What brings you here? Oh, erh, come on in!" The pink hedgehog invited warmly. Tails laughed a little as he noticed her hiding her Piko Piko Hammer behind her back. She dropped it into a tiny bucket next to the door, which was really for umbrellas.

Tails walked in wordlessly, squinting as the mind-singeing pinkness made his eyes dilate. He smiled nevertheless.

"If I don't get outta here fast I'm gonna get a migraine…" He thought.

"Sit down! Stay a while! I'll get you something to drink." Amy said, shuffling speedily into the other her kitchen. There was no preventing it when it came to Amy. It simply wouldn't get through. Tails sighed, and took a seat. Her loveseat (which is a couch that seats two people if you don't know) was squishy, and half his body sank into it.

"And she always talks about how much she hates hardheadedness… what a hypocrite…" Tails thought, sweatdropping. He smiled in spite of himself and concluded he was being a bit unfair.

Amy returned, and walking up and handing the two-tailed hero-in-the-makes a pink mug. It had milk in it… strawberry milk. Go figure.

Before Amy could sit down, she perked up, stiff as a rod, eyes shrinking to dots, as if some sort of animal instinct was taking place. She audibly sniffed the air, looked left, right, and finally at Tails. Her eyes softened to and sparkled as she scanned him, up…. and down. Tails made a face.

"…Ehehehehehehehehehehehe!" Amy giggled somewhat crazily. She plopped down peculiarly _close_ to him and batted her eyelashes with a light blush.

"Um… Amy, are you… Ok…?" The clueless boy inquired, the reasoning for this odd behavior completely eluding him….

**End Chapter**

That's all for that one… uh oh… looks like the aroma works on hedgehogs, as well… what'll happen to poor Tails? Review, and then read the next chapter. Yeah yeah, I know it's not necessary, but GOD. Gimme a break here…

YiffyOne


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again. I'm back! OMG, **important: It seems I made many serious errors in the last chapter, and I didn't notice till I'd already submitted them to the site, please forgive. I made it far too confusing during some parts, and I used author intrusion way too much (or these things). I have to sincerely apologize for this. I will edit Chapter 4 and make it more readable as soon as possible, that's a promise. Let this be a lesson to you storywriters out there, GO OVER YOUR WORK:O**

If I've for any reason forgotten to fix chapter 4, (and you should be able to tell by the chapters title being "?arg",) Then please remind me to do so in a review. Or you can email me. It doesn't matter.

Sonic: Yeah! It doesn't matter… now what happens… rocks out, headbanging to his own theme song.

YiffyOne: Hey Sonic, somebody wrote dumbass on the ceiling!

Sonic: Really? looks up

YiffyOne: uses his authory powers of infinityness to put a plastic bubble around Sonic

Sonic: HUH!

YiffyOne: I love you Sonic, I really do. But unfortunately for you, LOVE HERTZ! pulls out a HERTZ chainsaw

Sonic: OO;; they make chainsaws?

(_forgive me if I've done this to any of the characters that you really like_… butcher them I mean. I'm really trying not to. The only two characters I take REALLY seriously are Cream and Tails, because they make up the more serious part of the stories' genre. I also take another character seriously… you'll understand who if you keep reading.)

Ok, enough of the foolishness! **_Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 5: "Guitars, Dirtbikes, and STATUTORY:O"_**

A rather handsome boy stood outside on a public sidewalk, polishing his dirtbike to a mirror sheen. On the side of the rather tricked-out, fast-looking bike was written the words "GlimmerBolt II" He took a moment to wipe the sweat from his head. It was a hot day, but a nice one. A good day for a ride.

His eyes were hidden behind some thick, silvery goggles, probably to keep stuff out of his eyes when he was storming down the road on his vehicle. The young man had a kind of roguish charm about him, clad in a sleeveless dark-brown shirt that said "Don't blink, you'll miss me." On it's back there was a picture of a dashing cheetah. On his legs there were longish , khaki shorts with lots of pockets, and a few holes, showing they were well worn.

His right shin had a white bandage wrapped around it creating an uneven, yet all together nifty look . Upon his wrists, two studded leather bracelets , matching, but not identical.. He also wore a generic choker, which had a buckle on the side of it. He wore a pair of slightly large tan sneakers upon his feet.

Simply put, the young man looked like a total and complete punk. One would think twice before crossing this kid. The radically spikey, unkept, brown hair might make you turn the other way as well, what with it's blonde dyed tips, and all.

"Hey Chris!" A voice called out. The biker-punk turned around, his goggles flashing in the sunlight.

The teenager took his eye-mask off, and greeted his blue hedgehog friend with a light wave and a smile. A transformation seemed to take place whenever he removed them. Though his clothes and hair suggested him a troublemaker, the boy's deep blue eyes and baby-like face resonated with kindness, just like they always had.

Christopher Thorndyke, now 16, had changed a lot outwardly, but, at heart, he hadn't changed one tiny bit. If anything, his benevolent aura had grown stronger. Hanging out with Sonic had a huge affect on the way he grew up, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing.

"Yo! Sonic! What's up?" The rock star inquired.

Yes, you better believe it! Chris became a musician. And quite a well-known one, too. He learned to play the guitar in his spare time, and he got so good, people started to notice. Not only that, but, having adventure after adventure with Sonic and the gang really worked in his favor as far as songwriting came. Chris came up with some catchy rifts he played on his axe, and Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and Amy all helped him write songs. Also, let's not forget that his parents were rich! They sponsored the publication of his first album, "It Doesn't Matter". Within only a few weeks, it was a SMASH hit. The people loved it, it was all over magazines and newspapers worldwide. Chris and his whole family were famous.

However, no matter how much fame and fortune came his way, Chris remained that same kindhearted, adventure-loving boy he always was. He just had a little more style now, Sonic thought.

(I imagine Chris on stage, singing some ROCKED out versions of some of the classic, and newer Sonic themes.)

Chris was taking a vacation from the spotlight, though. After all, it WAS summer break. Not to mention he could use the R&R. It was a miracle that he wasn't being overrun by his fanclub at that very moment, really. He was quite like Sonic in that he seemed to be always on the move.

"Ahhh, you know. Same old, same old. Erh… by the way…" Sonic said, looking a bit awkward.

"…Yeah? What is it, True-Blue?" The daredevil prodded, coolly. Sonic scratched his head.

"…Hmmm. How to put this…? You've never held a candle for say… Rouge, or anyone… have you?" Sonic blurted, unsure how he was going to explain the little errand he was running for the violent bat. Chris looked perplexed.

"Rouge…? A… candle? I uh… don't get what you mean…eh, sorry. You'll have to say again." The youthful Mr. Thorndyke stated, baffled. Sonic scratched his skull in frustration as he tried to think of another way to put it.

"Oh wait, wait, let me put it this way: If you were attracted to one of the girls, I mean like reeeeeaaaally attracted… weird attracted… You'd tell me, right?" Sonic said, stumbling over each word. He immediately scorned himself mentally for not being better with words. He was more of a man of action.

However, to Sonic's surprise, Chris blushed lightly, and looked at the ground, as if he were hiding something. The hedgehog raised an eyebrow.

"Uhh… m-me? Like…O-one of the girls? You mean… Like the ones from your planet?… Eh heh, Nah…" The rocker claimed, trying to play it cool. Unfortunately for him, Sonic wrote the _book_ on cool.

"You sure? Not even a teeeeeeeeeny little bit?" Sonic said through a grin. It would be absolutely hilarious if Chris ended up being the one, in his opinion. Strange, but still funny. Now curious, Sonic felt a significant impulse to get it out of him.

"Psh. I SAID no. Geez, what is this, 20 questions or something?" He said back, defensively. His cheeks were getting ever redder.

"Hehehe… you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure? Cuz you're face is turnin' red as Knuckles!" Sonic teased. Chris turned around and folded his arms, obviously hiding _something_. The blue blur had im' now!

"Oh, c'mon man, just tell me. You're a horrible liar, y'know, always have been." The hero proclaimed, looking expectant. Chris turned around shyly and took a deep breath.

"sigh… Fine…." He started, "… I've been sorta keeping this to myself for a while… you have to keep this classified, ok?" He said, snaking Sonic's pinkie finger with his.

"So spill it. What's the big blushy-wushy secret?" Sonic said, obviously amused. He made his friend's face redden yet again.

"Well… you see I sorta…" Chris trailed, "kinda… maybe just a little… sometimes…"

"Cooome on, spit it out." Sonic said, tapping his foot demandingly.

"I like Cream!" The musician/dirtbike legend blurted, blushing madly immediately after. Sonic snickered a little.

"Hahaha! Is THAT all? Peh, who doesn't!" The hedgehog chuckled and shrugged. Seriously, if she were a little more his age, even HE'D probably consider. He shook his head. How cute. Chris didn't seem to think it was very funny, though.

"…Yeah, well, don't tell anyone, ok?" The teenager grumbled. Sonic considered, then nodded. So it wasn't Chris, either… huh. The boy was too innocent in nature to carry a match for the extremely aggressive Rouge, anyway, now that he gave it some thought… not only that, but he's rich, and would have no reason to steal anything in the first place… Sonic wondered why he even bothered.

"Hmmph. It's really nothing to be embarrassed about, man. I mean, you're that age, right?" Sonic said, seriously. The youth shook it off and smiled. Whenever he was near the hedgehog, his values changed into something more authentic, more him. These two retained a truly brotherlike relationship, no matter how much time passed them by, it seemed.

"I guess I _am_ freaking out a little bit. But I mean, we're not even the same species…" He said, sweatdropping, praying that didn't sound as bizarre as he thought it did. Sonic just smiled in that 'I'm here for you' way he does.

"Feh. Same difference." He said, bluntly stating his opinion, "But just so you know… She's got her sights set on Tails." the hedgehog added. Chris sighed, and his spirit seemed to sulk a bit.

"Yeah, I know… You don't have to remind me. The worst part is, Tails doesn't even pay her any attention. It's such a waste…" The young rock star said, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Well I--…" Sonic started, but was cut off by the sound of screaming….

"OH MY GOD! LOOK SARAH! THAT'S HIM! IT'S REALLY HIM! IT'S CHRIS!" A girl shrieked from the other side of the road. The group of girls about Chris' age all turned around.

"Chris? Chris who?" One girl said.

"RIGHT THERE! CHRIS THORNDYKE! HE'S STANDING _RIGHT_ THERE!" another screamed almost too high in pitch to be understood. Upon hearing the full name of the most popular prettyboy rock star in the country, each and every one of the girls let out their own tone of high pitched SQUEALS, and they started stampeding toward them. Chris put his goggles back on, and popped his neck.

"Dangit. Seems like I can't go anywhere anymore without signing something. I'll catch you later, Sonic. Gotta split." Christopher said, hopping on the GlimmerBolt II and revving it up.

"Heh, now you know how **I** feel with Amy." Sonic mused. Chris gave the thumbs up, and then took off, the front of his bike shooting upward. He maintained the wheelie for a solid 5 seconds before hitting his top-speed. Within 10 seconds after that he was outta sight.

The entire crowd of girls all said "AWWWWW!" simultaneously.

"Heh, too cool, tooooo cool. He always was one for flashy exits." Sonic said, admiring the boy's style.

"Darn! Now I'll never get a celebrity's autograph!" One of the girls whined. Sonic walked over, looking totally full of himself.

"AHEM…." Sonic said, waiting for all the girls to ask him to sign their shirts and foreheads and shoes. Only one girl turned to look.

"Hey, aren't you Sonic?" She asked. Sonic played it cool.

"The one and only! Want my autograph?" He offered, pulling out a pen he, for no reason whatsoever, had tucked in his glove. The girl's face twisted in disgust.

"Ew! Why would I want YOUR autograph? You're just an ugly blue porcupine who talks!" Everyone in the group laughed and pointed at Sonic, then walked away.

"…But I'm a hedgehog! There's a difference… I think… ;;"

(and just to let you know, YES, I really like the character Chris, so I decided to make him kickass. Did I do a good job! I think I'll draw and scan what I pictured him looking like and link it for you guys next chapter. Don't worry, my art's not too shabby. You'll see.)

Miles 'Tails' Prower was in quite a predicament, indeed… There he was, on a loveseat next to none other than Amy Rose, whom was looking at him like he was Sonic times a million. Was this some kind of bad joke? What was it, 'freak Tails out' day?

"Amy… heh… erh, what, what are you doing…?" The fox muttered nervously.

Amy only grinned, her eyes lidding in a seductive manner, as her gloved hand slowly trailed up his thigh.

"H-hey! Stop… Amy… Amy, stop…Amy..AMY!" Tails said, flinching when she got too close to a certain part of him. He looked upon her with a mixture of confusion, horror, and embarrassment. Amy made an amorous noise, making the fox's fur stand on end.

"Ohh… Don't fight it. Just… let it happen…" Amy purred. Tails shook his head no, slinging sweat across the room. What was he supposed to do!

"Amy, just… calm… Calm down! You-you, you don't want me, you want Sonic! Yeah, ahahaha… remember Sonic?" Tails stammered, trying to talk his way out of this. Amy's hard-set expression didn't change.

"Sonic's a loser." Amy stated, simply. Before Tails could even respond, she had him hunched over with his ear in her mouth, softly but firmly nipping at it, various moans kept seeping from her mouth. He had to get outta here.

Tails would've hopped up, but Amy was stronger than he suspected, and she clung to him like she always did to Sonic. This was a problem. His physical strength wasn't as good as Sonic's except for his tails, which Amy was sitting on. He could catapult her across the room, but he didn't want to hurt her.

"Amy! AMY! Get OFF of me right NOW!" Tails commanded, angrily. It only seemed to arouse the girl even more, as he noticed she had straddled him now.

She said nothing, but made plenty of physical, almost sexual noises. Tails couldn't believe it… he was about to get raped… by a GIRL! What would the guys think of that?

Tails had to think of something, and quick. Amy had already, at this point, removed and discarded his vest and thrown her hair barrette aside. Then he looked behind him. There it was, sitting within reach, the Piko Piko Hammer… Tails weighed out his options. Amy then bit him on the nape of his neck, HARD, mrowlling like a cat.

"OUCH! Ok, that's it! I'm sorry to do this to you, Amy, but you leave me no choi-mmph?" The foxboy was suddenly silenced by a set of lips pressing firmly against his. His stomach did a somersault… Amy was KISSING HIM!

In a last ditch effort, the two-tailed teenager grasped the hammer and brought it firmly upon the girl's skull, making a loud 'TINK!' noise. She was sent flying into a wall. Tails underestimated the lightness of the massive hammer and had accidently swung way too hard!

Needless to say, he felt horrible. He immediately went up to go check on her. She was laying in the floor with cartoony spiraly eyes… just knocked her out.

Tails wondered what to do now. He scooped up his vest and put it back on. He figured it couldn't hurt to leave her like that… well, honestly he was just afraid moving her might wake her up.

He walked out her door, shut it quietly, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why, hello Tails. Fancy meeting you here…" Rouge the bat said sexily, perched upside-down from above him. She scared him half to death, but before he could run, she flipped to his other side and tripped him up with her powerful legs. He fell, HARD.

He tried to get up, but a white boot prevented his head from lifting, pinning him firmly and easily to the ground. He looked up… his face twisted in horror at what he saw next… she smirked evilly as she pulled , out of what appeared to be her cleavage, a tiny whip….

SNAP! (Hawt! XD)

"…uh oh…" Tails whimpered.

End chapter

YiffyOne: OMG, I'm so MEAN to that fox… it's just delightful!

Tails: Sadist.

Rouge: Yes, yes I am… as you'll soon find out… :D

Tails: WHAT! OO;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Shadow: Hey… I have a question.

YiffyOne: Yes, what is it? I shall answer all! I shall bestow all!

Shadow: Why am I the only character that hasn't appeared in this story yet….?

YiffyOne:… Um… I don't know. But don't feel bad. I haven't casted Big yet.

Big: OOMPA LOOMPA DUMBIDY DOORF!

Shadow: Oo;; you're actually going to put THAT in your otherwise morally tact story?

YiffyOne: Hehe, mebbe.

Sonic: Hey Shadow! I know why he won't cast you!

Shadow: really? WHY!

Sonic: It's cuz you're black!

Shadow: (pulls out various weapons from the game he's the star of) WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING BLACK! 8/

Sonic:…OO; erh, uh, nothing, nothing… You guys can… uh… run faster than white people!

YiffyOne: OHHHH, I always _wondered_ why Shadow could keep up with you, Sonic! It's cuz he's black! You got some slave feet, Slim Shadow:D

Shadow: I hope you get a million flames for that remark!

YiffyOne:… Hey, I think I just got one! reads it Wait, no, it's from the KKK. Wow, I wonder what possessed them to leave such a good review… And look! They actually asked me to join! Neato! If I subscribe now, I get discounts on all white clothing and rope products at Slave-mart!

Shadow: I HATE YOU!

YiffyOne: Heeeey, it wasn't me working you on those cotton farms, it was my ancestors!

Shadow: YOU'RE STILL RACIST!

YiffyOne: No I'm not! Oh wait, Shadow, I forgot to give you you're Christmas gift! hands him a box

Shadow: Oh goody! opens it…. hey, why is there fried chicken and watermelon in here!

YiffyOne: Oh, just a random gesture. I assure you it's got nothing to do with you being the blackest blacko that ever blacked up the streets. :3

Shadow: Stop calling me black! You… cracker!

YiffyOne: throws all seven chaos emeralds at Shadow and he transforms into a Silvery-white color I know you are but what am I?

Shadow: Damn you! Oh wait, maybe you'll all accept me now?

YiffyOne: Sure.

Shadow: Cool! I could get used to this!

YiffyOne: Too bad you're outta rings.

Shadow: HUH! transforms back to black

YiffyOne: is suddenly wearing a white pointy mask. :D

Shadow: oo;;

Ok ok, that's done… hahaha. Ok, just to clear one thing up, I am NOT racist! No really, I swear! I don't even know how to tie a noose. :p

Ok ok, enough of those jokes… they bad. hehe… DON'T JUMP ME! hides

(Really though, I'm not. I was just pokin' fun o' Shadow. I've got nothing against him, either. Just… you know… loosening you up while you wait for chapter 6. :3)

Please don't hate me! I know I'm pure evil, but I'm actually quite lovable. Send reviews! If you do, I'll give you a… uh… dammit… what do people like getting…? Um…. I'll give you a….. hmmm…. Oh yeah,… wait, no…. how about a…. no…. OH! here's a good deal. If you review and I love it, and also leave a request in it, I'll totally consider at the very, very least.

And just one more thing. If you review, tell me your opinion on this: I'm considering transforming this fic from a Tails-Cream, to a Tails-Chris-Cream triangle. Whaddya think? I CAN do alternate endings, for those of you who are scared o' stuff like that.

Of coarse, the fact that each and every girl within range of Tails adores him makes that a bit more complex… like a love octagon… huh… but I really feel like making Chris an important character.

Would that piss you guys off?

Answer all this stuff in reviews… I WILL listen, scouts honor.

that's all for now, C'ya

YiffyOne


	6. Chapter 6

YiffyOne: You know, you reviewers are really good to me. Even though I disgrace each and ever beloved Sonic character in a crude attempt to create humor of it, you review. Even if I take the evil genius Eggman and turn his character COMEPLETELY opposite, you review. Even when I'm making Tails head spin like a bad episode of Tenchi Muyo! You review.

I… I JUST LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

And for that, I will not dillydally any longer. Today, we'll cut right to the chase, just for you.

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 6: "An uncurable sickness" 

"How about this one, Cheese?" Cream asked her pet, whom was flapping his little wings a few feet away. The chao examined the dress she held.

"…ChaoChao!" The tiny blue one stated, showing off his profound intelligence. Cream smiled, however fakely. The little creature was smart in his own right, but he obviously didn't have any taste in evening-wear. She'd picked the most hideous dress she could find just to check…

She set it aside, and began to think. She needed somebody to tell her which dresses looked the nicest. But it had to be a boy… one that could really admire which ones looked right and which didn't. Cream looked around at the various males in the store staring at her. She was pretty sure that the only one that wasn't was gay, the manager, who seemed to say 'fabulous' every 3 seconds. Cream couldn't trust these people… she became uncomfortable around strangers. In fact, she was beginning to feel a bit unsafe. She was, afterall, completely defenseless, not a can of mace or anything.

Normally she went shopping with Amy, whom she always felt safe with. She pulled out her cell phone, and dialed her number. The phone rang once, twice, thrice… no answer. Well, there was, but it was from a machine. Cream hung up. What could Amy be doing right now, she wondered?

Cream put the cell phone away, and started looking at dresses again, aimlessly walking around. Suddenly, Cheese got hostile toward a large, probably four times her size, man, whom was staring at her through a disgusting grin. The chao didn't growl at just anyone… Cheese only did that when he sensed danger.

Cream shuffled in the other direction nervously. The chao followed close behind… and the man stalked.

Unfortunately, instead of shopping at a store of only dresses, Cream had to go to the mall… where all SORTS of people pop up. She walked swiftly out of the door of the Mall's dress shop and turned left, going into a different store. She was scared… she didn't really care where she was as long as she could evade this man… she sensed evil intent in him as well.

She almost peeped in terror as she saw the man walk in, trying to look conspicuous, but obviously stalking after her. She made sure to say on the opposite side of this store, which appeared to be filled with toys, until she had enough space to slip out of the store. She ran this time into a skateshop. She didn't even realize how easy it would be to find her bright colors in the sea of black wearing goth-punks, she was far too frightened.

A moment passed, and she stared at the entrance. She no longer saw the man. She let out a breath of relief. But then, just as she started to walk out the door… she was grabbed by powerful arms, her mouth covered entirely. She muffled in horror from behind the massive forearm. Cheese snarled and flew quickly toward the man, with a chao-like battle cry, hard set on saving his precious friend. The fat man, however, was surprisingly quick, and he swatted the poor thing away with his free arm. Cream tried to scream.

This was bad… they were in the darkest, blackest part of the skateshop, and there didn't seem to be anybody within proximity to help her… the man chuckled softly as he began to take one of his utterly disgusting hands and…

"Let her go." Came a young, but dashing voice. Cream almost recognized it. The man snapped to attention, looking to see where the voice came from.

"Grrh, who's there…?" The man grunted in an utterly repugnant, bull-like voice.

Out of the shadows stepped a young man, his face concealed by the large black hood of his sweater. In his hand was a silver axe guitar, which he had hoisted over his shoulder. The utterly brilliant instrument seemed to reflected light, despite a certain lack of it.

Cream appreciated what the boy was trying to do, but he wasn't really even much taller than her! Probably 5,6" at best… the man that held Cream in a deathgrip was nearly twice his height, and probably 30 times his mass. She tried to speak, but the man muffled her again.

The 'cloaked knight' looked up a bit, something within that vast hood flashed for a split second, then faded.

"I'm not kidding you fat tub of shit, let her go, or I'm going to make your life even more pitiful than it already is." The heroic enigma stated, his voice completely serious, and at the same time, utterly calm and focused. Cream thought, for just a moment, she felt her heart skip a beat. He was willing to face this monster for _her_? She shook it off, this was not the time to be thinking about such things! This kid's life was at stake here!

The large, nameless man, seeming to be nothing more than a sheer embodiment of society's corrupted outcasts, Grinned.

"Stupid boy… think you're somethin'…? If you don't leave now, and forget you saw any of this, I'll break you like a tw-…" The man was interrupted, as the shady youth leaped into the air, quicker than lightning, and backhanded the man right on his fat face. It was obviously intended to be nothing but a sheer insult.

"… You can get off with just that… this is your last chance, you disgusting pig. You'd better let go of her and get out of my sight. NOW." The mysterious hero demanded. Cream felt like she was gonna be sick, as she gasped for air, the man's grip on her tightening with rage. His face twisted into an appalling scowl.

Not waiting to say a word, the man released the bunny and raised one massive arm in preperation to strike. Cream hacked helplessly on her knees, as she watched, praying that her young savior would turn tail and run before he was pulverized.

The man attacked with a vicious right hook, which was, with amazing agility, dodged with a high jump that no normal human could accomplish. Time froze for a split second, before the irregularly swift mystery man twirled once in the air, his axe extended, gracefully connected into a downward, airborne guitar strike, gravity and the obvious weight of the huge axe smashing the man directly on the skull, full force. The instrument blared with the impact, as the man fell to the ground, motionless. The hotshot hooded hero landed with the utmost perfection. To Cream's surprise, his Axe was completely unscratched, where any normal guitar would have broken in half.

A crowd of people immediately rushed over and gathered around, the final blare of the instrument of both music and justice sounded at length, and finally faded. People in the crowd started mumbling to themselves. The mysterious youth walked toward Cream, and spoke in the calmest voice:

"Are you ok?"


	7. Chapter 7

Hello… This chapter is where the story takes a HUGE turn toward the action department… I'm perty good at writing fight scenes, so I think all you action-lovers out there will really dig it. This chapter belongs to out beloved hero, Sonic. People don't like him as much as they used to, but this chapter really captures his essense, I think. Well, at least in the latter part of it…

_**Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 7: "The Human Spirit."**_

In the mid of the night, Sonic was still sturring, not one to sleep that often. In fact, Sonic disliked the whole idea of staying in one place SO much, he generally didn't go to sleep until his body forced him to. Right now the Hedgehog was wide awake, running around aimlessly.

Aimlessly including up and down the sides of buildings, throughout the streets, wherever his feet would allow him to go. And for the fastest thing on two feet, that was quite a variety. Sonic could even run across water if he pleased… though his inability to swim made him stay away from the water whenever possible. If there was anything Sonic 'feared' other than losing his friends, it was deep water.

The hedgehog grinded down rails, used parked cars as ramps, performing arial stunts just for the thrill of it, all the while wondering what he should do to pass the time.

If there were any real weaknesses in the hero other than the swimming thing, it was the axiomatic factuality that he got bored with the utmost ease. If a person could do the things Sonic could do on a whim, they'd most likely never be bored. But Sonic was a true thrill-seeker, and he needed some action. He was sick of running Rouge's errand. At least for now. He'd do that later.

He stopped for a rare break. He had admirable vigor, but not limitless stamina. Just when he was about to take off again, somebody called out to him.

"Hey! Hey, Sonic!" A high, yet mangled, utterly displeasing voice came from behind him. He turned around. It was Amy.

(Ok, from this part on, this is gonna be the humor part, but it's action oriented humor… I guess, lol.)

"Oh, hey Amy!" Sonic said, with an idiotic smile, somehow not realizing that 'Amy' looked like she weighed 400 pounds and had a huge orange mustache puffing out of her mouth hole.

Eggman inwardly laughed, deeming his scheme fool-proof. Good thing too, as it seemed they were abundant. Seriously, though, Eggman wore the most crudely put together Amy costume imaginable. He looked more like a big pink and red teletubbie with a wieght and facial hair issue. His imitation of Amy's voice was quite laughable. Any normal person would probably either be frightened, or find it funny, perhaps a mixture of both.

"Gee, Amy, you gain a little holiday weight?" Sonic said, bluntly. Eggman fumed.

"HOW DA- ah, (ahem) How dare you!" Eggman said in his normal voice at first, nearly blowing his cover. He'd always been sensitive about his weight. Even now, when that really, in comparison to his other issues, was nothing to be ashamed of. Sonic laughed.

"Just a joke, Ames. Hey, wait a sec… why haven't you glomped me yet…?" Sonic asked, a question mark appearing above his clueless head. This, needless to say, was a soon to be regretted error.

"Um… oh, yeah, that!" 'She' said. With that, the Eggman barreled toward the hedgehog, and tackled him with his full, unfathomable weight. "Soniiiiiiiikku!"

"BLEACK! X.X" Sonic said, likely a death-cry.

Eggman got up off the hedgehog, only to find that he'd completely flattened him. Sonic laid there, twitching.

"Oops." Eggman said. He nudged Sonic with his foot. Sonic didn't get up. Eggman made a face of sheer horror.

"Oh.. Oh noooooooooo! No! I killed Sonic! Now I'll never defeat him!" Eggman said, crying fountains, not realizing what an unbelievable contradiction that sentence was to itself.

A half hour later, Sonic groaned, and got up, holding his head. Eggman, still there, gasped and jumped with joy!

"Sonic! You're a- I mean, (ahem) Sonic! You're alive! I'm so happy!" The Amy imposter shouted. Sonic smiled.

"Yeah, I'm ok… I feel like I just got tackled by a sumo wrestler though. Whatever hit me must have weighed a TON! Now if I could only remember…" With that, an enraged Eggman wrapped his hands around Sonic's neck and strangled him, Bart-Homer style.

"Why you little….! I take that back! I want you to be dead again!" The angry doctor yelled. His Amy mask fell off.

"(GASP) YOU'RE NOT AMY!" Sonic shouted, like it was the most surprising fact he'd ever found out.

Eggman, his cover blown, shed the Amy costume and pulled out what looked a lot like a television remote with an antenna on the end of it. He laughed maniacally. (Maniacal as in that creepy lady like hoo-hoo-hoo thing he does in almost every episode of Sonic X… o.O;)

Sonic flipped himself onto his feet, positioned in a fighting stance. "Eggman!" He said.

"That's right! And guess what, Sonic? I've got a surprise for you!" The doctor proclaimed.

Rather than grasping the obvious sarcasm, Sonic's eyes lit up and he went chibi.

"REAAAALLY? I love surprises! What is it?" Sonic asked with a goofy expression.

"Hehe. You'll see." The good doctor said through a twisted smirk. He then pressed the 'play' button on his remote.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a giant robot, constructed of what appeared to be a washing machine, a few trailers, various bathroom sinks, lawn gnomes, a telephone booth (with a person still IN it) , and paper cups. How such an irrational creation could possibly function is beyond me. It looked rather like something you'd create when playing Katamari Damacy. (if you haven't played that game, nevermind the joke :3) It seemed to be held together by band-aids.

"OMG!" Sonic said. "YOU GOT ME A ROBOT!" Sonic yelled, vastly amused. Eggman smacked himself on the head.

"NO IT'S NOT FOR YOU, YOU LITTLE…."

"I _LOVE_ IT!" Sonic said. Eggman blushed.

"Oh… Really? It IS rather ingenius, don't you think…?" Eggman boasted.

Sonic ran up to the creation and touched it. The entire thing immediately crumbled, LOUDLY and destroying half of that area of the city. Sonic screamed and narrowly escaped what would doubtlessly have turned him into a hedgehog pancake. Eggman ripped his mustache hairs out, since he had no hair.

"NOOOOOOOOO! My precious robot's only weakness! Everything!" He said dramatically, seemingly foiled again.

Sonic just stood there, wondering if this could even be considered a victory.

"Did I win?" Sonic asked no one in particular. Eggman's head steamed.

"NO! Of coarse NOT! You think you could defeat my robot THAT easily? Think again!" With that, Eggman pressed the 'rewind' button on his remote. The giant robot crumbled in reverse, magically forming together again.

"MUH!" Sonic said, his mouth hitting the ground. Eggman tittered madly.

The strange conglomeration of the randomest things imaginable began moving slowly toward Sonic.

Sonic just stood there. And stood there. The robot was unbelievably slow.

"Haha! Now you've got it comin' Sonic! Just you wait til he gets over to you! Eh!" Eggman then noticed that Sonic was sitting in a lazyboy with the funnypapers and a pipe.

"…Hahahaha! That Dennis the Menace cracks me up!" Sonic said, bubbles floating from his pipe.

"Grrr! Ok, not fast enough for you? FINE!" Eggman shouted in utter irritation, as he mashed the 'fast forward' button on his remote. The 'robot's speed increased to an irregularly quick. And it ran up and punted Sonic into a building. The hedgehog, the lazyboy, and the pipe flew through one of the building's windows.

Sonic shook his head, and got up.

"OW! Ok, that's it. Eggman wants to play hardball, I'm game!" Sonic said, pumping himself up to do battle with the robot.

Of coarse, this was before realizing that he was in somebody's apartment at the moment, a bathroom to be exact. Suddenly a man screamed. Sonic was startled, and looked left, and, at the sight of the very hairy nude man in the shower, He also shrieked.

"AHHHHHHHH! It's Saddam Hussein!" Sonic squealed as he jumped back out the window he busted.

Sonic landed back on the street, where Eggman or the Giant Robot were nowhere to be seen…

"Huh? That's weird… where could they b-…" Before he could finish that sentence, he looked at a impending shadow below him, only meaning one thing.

Sonic jumped to the side, narrowly dodging the large robot's quaking assault. The earth tremulated under the weight. The hedgehog recovered quickly, and looked up at the bot, seeing Eggman atop it.

The hero grinned. "Bring it on!" He taunted.

(Here's where the fighting gets serious. If you want to imagine the Robot as a kickass egg-gundam right now, go ahead. I'm also Gonna make Eggman his normal self during this part… Eggy needs his time, too :3)

Eggman, only too happy to comply, pointed to Sonic and barked out orders for the monstrosity to attack him. The robot moved quickly, but Sonic was quicker, zigzagging between it's attacks, and running straight up a building, doing a backflip off of it when he neared the top, flipping, flipping, flipping, until his resolustions got so fast he appeared to be a blue blur of a ball. He decended upon the unsuspecting robot's mid section in a devastating homing attack. He didn't break through, but the bot was slightly damaged.

Eggman growled, and mashed the 'record' button on his remote. The robot's glowing eyes flashed, and analyzed Sonic, whom rubbed his head, which he'd hurt on that last impact. The hedgehog charged, and began rolling, revving up for his famous 'Sonic spin', and he released at an unbelievable speed, his target, a leg.

Quicker than even Sonic, the robot's eyes flashed, predicting this move, and lifting it's massive leg, it perfectly timed stomping the hedgehog into the ground.

Now that hurt. The hedgehog said, trying to pick himself up off the ground when the robot removed it's huge leg, which had left an indention in the road. Sonic smiled, as he managed to get to his feet. Eggman hadn't put up this much of a fight in a long time. He'd _missed_ this.

"Herherher… had enough yet…?" Eggman taunted. He'd also missed the heated battles with the hedgehog. Sonic shook his head.

"You kiddin'? I'm just getting' started, Egghead!" Sonic said, wiping a bit of blood from his lip, grinning, almost suggesting masochism.

Eggman, not tolerated being called such a name, pressed the 'skip scene' button on his remote. As a result of this…

End Chapter 

(haha, just kiddin'.)

The robot suddenly appeared behind an unsuspecting Sonic, and swatted him into a telephone post. He hit it with so much force, it snapped in half and utterly destroyed a nearby car, it's alarm going off for a moment, then dying.

At this point, things were starting to look bad… where did Eggman get his hands on such a kick-ass remote?

(flashback)

Eggman is seen clicking a 'magical-remote control' icon on e-bay.

(end flashback)

One thing was for sure, Sonic had to get that remote and trash it. That skip scene thing it did a moment ago was essentially chaos control, for cryin' out loud. It's ability to speed itself up and record his moves made it difficult to hit at this point too. He had to gain some sort of advantage.

Being always quick-witted in a battle, Sonic got an idea. A classic move he hadn't used in ages. He spun around on the ground. He spun faster and faster and faster, until he was a little blue tornado.

Eggman removed his shades and squinted at the what he was seeing.

"What is he doing?" The mad doctor thought aloud, not even recognizing the move.

Sonic executed his full spinning speed, and the concrete on the road began to crack. Eggman gasped, and ordered the robot to attack. But just as it swung it's mighty arm, Sonic had drilled completely underground.

Eggman looked around warily, wondering where Sonic might pop up…

A long time passed.

It was strange… generally Sonic was the last person you suspect of waiting for anything.

Suddenly, Sonic jolted from above, and landed a direct hit on Eggman, knocking him off his perch. The remote fell too the ground and cracked into a million pieces.

Sonic looked up, as the Eggman plummeted. Amazingly, the robot caught him, and put him upon his shoulder again.

It was ok, though. Sonic, at this point, was confident he could win.

The hedgehog remained still, accumulating the energy in the air. This was his slowest, but most devastating attack. It was similar to Shadow's Chaos Arrow, but required more energy, focus and time. For some reason, Eggman was smiling, and waiting for the attack, recognizing it. Sonic thought he was taunting him.

"Huh, don't think I can do it, huh? Take this! Sonic Wind!" The hedgehog hero shouted, unleashing a flurry of the razor sharp pockets of energy onto the robot.

As the thousands of blue flashes approached him, Eggman threw his hands in the air, and chanted a familiar line…

"…The servers… are the seven Chaos…. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart… The controller serves to unify the Chaos..." Eggman spoke loudly and clearly these words. Sonic recognized them, but he couldn't remember…

Suddenly, the center of the robot began to glow bright green, brighter and brighter until the light was blinding. Sonic covered his eyes, confused, as well as surprised.

"Wh-what IS that?" Sonic said, trying to see. What he saw next horrified him.

The Sonic Wind was frozen mid-air, and in the center of Eggman's robot… was none other than the Master Emerald.

"Emerald, lend me your power! Show the servers that YOU are truly the Master of all Emeralds! Unleash your wrath!" Eggman commanded the Emerald. It spinned, faster, faster still, and gave off beautiful sparkles…

Sonic Could do nothing but watch as the Sonic Wind shattered into a million pieces, like ice. The robot was consumed by the glittery show of sparkles… The bad thing was, when it dissipated, the robot was…

…Coated in green, emerald-like armor. Sonic remembered the chant now… it was the one Tikal and Knuckles used to address the spirit of the Master Emerald, and consult it… Unfortunately, it seemed the Emerald had been convinced by Eggman's words. It was true, the massive jewel had never before displayed any sort of power… just regulated the power of the chaos emeralds, or the seven servers…

And now it wanted Sonic, and the whole world to see that it had power superior to them. Sonic cursed this new turn of events. How did the madman get his mitts on the Master Emerald in the first place!

Eggman, having most of the playing cards now, pointed to Sonic.

"Now, attack that hedgehog!" Eggman said with a triumphant grin.

Sonic dashed first, however, leaping and performing the hardest homing attack he could muster on the creature. Just as he thought, not good. In fact, he ended up hurting himself on the hard armor, and not even scratching it.

The massive armored-superbot was even quicker than the hedgehog had first suspected… apparently it used chaos control to move… just great.

Needless to say, before Sonic could even shake off his dizziness from that last homing attack, the monstrosity appeared behind him and backhanded him skyward… but it didn't end there.

The Master Emerald powered machine reappeared in the sky and intercepted the flying hero, smashing him again, and then again, and once more, the final reappearance sending him plummeting toward the sea…

Sonic was hurt. He could only take so many hits… and he was about to lose consciousness… not only that, but he was heading toward water… things looked bad…

"N-..no…way… Eggman… won? Is this… the end of Sonic the hedgehog…?" The questions played over and over in his mind….

However, just when Sonic was about to hit the water…. and right when all hope seemed lost…

A red flash swooped from above and caught the fallen hero, just in the nick of time.

Sonic, still awake, opened his eyes. A hazy vision slowly became more clear, revealing a certain brash, hard-headed, but ultimately magnificent guardian we all know and love…

"Kn-Knuckles…?" Sonic said, weakly. The echidna glided them to safety atop a building, and set the hedgehog down.

"No, it's alright, no need to thank me, I-…" was all Rad Red got out before Sonic got up and konked him hard on his knucklehead. "OW!"

"THANK you? Do you know how late you are? You're always late for everything! That's one thing I hate about you, dammit Knux!" Sonic scolded angrily. Knuckles immediately jumped into the argument.

"Hey, shut up! I just saved you're worthless-ass life, you know! And my timing was perfect! What would've been a BETTER time for me to arrive!" Knuckles yelled back. Sonic put his hands on his hips.

"Well, let's see, how about showing up before I got my ASS HANDED TO ME!" Sonic retorted. Knuckles raised a hand and opened his yapper, but nothing came out. He really couldn't argue with that logic.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh, and by the way, what the HELL IS EGGMAN DOING WITH THE MASTER EMERALD! HOW DID HE GET IT!" Sonic asked. Knuckles sweatdropped.

(flashback)

Eggman is seen clicking a 'Master Emerald' Icon on e-bay.

(End flashback)

"I needed money!" Knuckles said, trying to make his irrationality sound like something anyone would do.

"YOU **AUCTIONED THE MASTER EMERALD ON E-BAY!**" The hedgehog shouted, his jaw dropping. Knuckles scratched his head awkwardly.

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by the building they were standing on being destroyed. Eggman was now on a rampage and destroying the city. Knuckles and Sonic leapt from the building to another one.

"Ah, Knuckles! Glad you decided to show up for the party! Yes, I visited your website, it was pretty cool. The whole 'servers are the seven chaos' thingy was a really juicy bit of info. I didn't know that you could use something like that to actually _talk_ to the Master Emerald! Pretty nifty!" Eggman let out a heck of an evil laugh at the expression on Knuckles face. Sonic looked at the red echidna with an anime-like irritation etched on his features. Knuckles shrugged.

"Hey! Guarding the Master Emerald is boring! I gotta do SOMETHING in my free time!" Knuckles said, sweatdropping enormously. Sonic rolled his eyes and let it go for now…. now wasn't the time.

"You ready to fight that thing? It's tough." Sonic asked his occasional battle partner. Knuckles smacked his fists together, smiling.

"You know I wouldn't have it any other way!" The echidna assured him. He loved a good fight. Sonic nodded.

"Then let's go!" Sonic shouted, leaping toward Eggman, only to be swatted from the air. Sonic however flipped and recovered, landing on another building, as he did, Knuckles had already launched an assault of his own, gliding at high speeds toward the backside of the bot, winding his fist up for a devastating punch.

Sonic smiled. He'd seen the guardian break through 8 inches of titanium with that move. However, Knuckles was somewhat slow, so Sonic decided to launch another attack to distract the green titan. He leapt, quickly sailing straight toward it, as he and Knuckles closed in from both sides… surely one of their attacks would hit, he thought.

Regretably, Sonic thought wrong. The monster of a giant used chaos control to dodge, and Sonic and Knuckles ended up slamming into one another, and falling, where the seemingly invincible robot of chaos followed up by kicking them both into the concrete below, which cracked, and left them lying next to one another, out of ideas.

Knuckles was still fresh, and recovered quickly. Sonic, however, had not been hit by an attack like that once, but about seven times now, and that's if you don't include the damage caused by gravity. Knuckles began to move when he noticed Sonic hadn't gotten up. He went to his aid.

"Urgh… can't move. Damn. It's up to you… you have to stop that thing! If you don't… herk… It'll pulverize the city…." Sonic mumbled, bleeding in various places a little, but mostly just battered. One of his eyes seemed sealed shut.

Knuckles' eyes burned with resolve. After all, this really was HIS fault… he was the guardian of the Emerald… He had to clean up his own mess.

The red echidna climbed swiftly up a building and stood at it's top, trying to remain at head level of the massive emerald coated giant. Eggman appeared to have been waiting.

"Well, it's about time! Hmm? Is Sonic out of it already…? Well, that's no fun!" Eggman taunted, knowing of Knuckle's short temper. The echidna gritted his teeth and made a pass at not the Master Emerald Titan, but at Eggman himself. If he could just take him out, he could convince the Master Emerald to stop this. He hoped.

However, it seemed that hope wasn't good enough. The embodiment of the power within the Master of all the chaos emeralds disappeared before the punch could be landed. Knuckles knew what was coming next, so he quickly turned around and braced himself, successfully in blocking some of the damage that came from the titan's fist, which, as the guardian suspected, came from behind him.

The red fighter was, however, still sent flying, but he managed to catch himself. Darn. Knuckles was a proud and boastful warrior, maybe even a bit vain at times, but he knew his own limits. He simply wasn't fast or stealthy enough to sneak up on the Master Emerald. He cursed the fact that Sonic was out of commission, he could probably get the drop on it, if he was at his full potential, and had Knuckles helping him.

Knuckles only had one option left. He closed his eyes, and put his palms together, and calmed his mind, achieving a meditative state.

"The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The controller serves to unify the Chaos…" He said, having the whole thing memorized well. He opened his eyes. The center of the green titan was glowing.

Eggman expected Knuckles to try something like that. But he wasn't worried. He would simply have to be more convincing to the Emerald than the Knucklehead. Eggman, needless to say, was champion of the debate 3 years running in highschool.

"Master Emerald! What is it you think you're doing! Why all the destruction! What will this accomplish?" Knuckles asked the Emerald. The green titan stopped destroying and paused. This was Eggman's cue.

"Master Emerald, don't listen to this fool… He sold you for his own sick purposes! Abandoned his people! His duty! The last of the Echidna… tainted by society… it's because of an overabundance of people like him that we must purify the world!" Eggman told the Emerald. Knuckles gulped. Eggman was good… he had total and complete mastery of grammar, not to mention he made a very coherent, convincing point. How was Knuckles supposed to compete with that? The Giant immediately began once again destroying everything in sight. Eggman cackled.

"Wait! Master Emerald, he's lying! Surely you can detect the evil in that man? I beg of you, please stop this! HE'S the one that's exploiting you! He's using you to try and take over the world!" Knuckles said. The titan stopped once again.

"Please! I'm but a humble doctor! He's the one who's lying!" Eggman shot back. The Giant slowly started smashing things again.

"No! Eggman's the liar!" Knuckles shot back.

"No, you are!"

"No, YOU!"

"That's ridiculous, it's obviously you."

"You've always been a liar!"

"Sure, I know you are, but what am I?"

The titan looked at Eggman, then to Knuckles, Eggman, Knuckles, so on…. it was confused it seemed. Suddenly, amidst the argument, something that had never happened before happened…

…The Master Emerald spoke.

"_Silence! You life-forms are all the same, pointing the finger at one another, when in reality, you are both at fault! **I **shall decide this… I realize that Dr. Eggman is a power-hungry fool, but he is correct… it's because of corruptions of to the world, such as you two that make it more idealistic to simply purge the planet…. to teach it a lesson…" _It stated, in a low, omniscient-sounding voice. Knuckles didn't like the sound of this… Eggman began to see that the Emerald wasn't really on HIS side, either…

"Hey! Don't you think you're bein' a little unfair?" A different voice spoke up, from behind Knuckles.

"S-sonic!" The echidna exclaimed, surprised. Sonic smiled. It was amazing… only Sonic could be half dead, and smile in spite of it all.

"Let me handle this." Sonic told Knux, his eye still squinted shut, slouched a bit, a hand on his stomach. Knuckles didn't know what the battered, but not beaten hero had in mind, but he silently nodded, trusting him.

Sonic limped forward.

"Ok, 'controller'. I've got a proposition for ya. My name's Sonic the Hedgehog, and I think you got it allllllll wrong. This world is nowhere near as bad as you make it out to be… Yeah, some people have their quirks, heck, a lot have no good qualities whatsoever, take Eggface over there for example…" Sonic said, nodding toward Eggman, whom promptly flicked him off, "…We have problems. Heh, a whole lot of em'… but what makes humanity worth all of the hassle you have to put up with… is their spirit. Yeah, the human spirit… I've never felt anything like it. It's strong. And you know what? I bet… it's stronger than even you." Sonic said, pointing at the green titan. On his face was plastered, not a grin, but a smile. A true smile, showing his own unwavering faith in the planet. No doubt about it, Sonic was positively confident his words were true.

"_You… I sense much power coming from within you… But what you speak is nonsense… there is nothing of this planet more powerful than I."_ The emerald spoke. Sonic shook his head.

"That's where you're wrong. And I'll prove it to you… I'm here to represent the planet… the people, and their spirit. If you win, you do whatever you wish, trash the place, I could care less… cuz you _won't._" Sonic said, expressing a passionate sort of justice and faith that only he could accomplish.

Knuckles and Eggman didn't get it… The fight in Sonic was less than a hundrenth, but his spirit… his spirit burned brighter than ever. But, how can one fight on spirit alone…?

"_You, hedgehog… I admire your will, but you are no match for me. You cannot attack with sheer will, you need something to make it tangible. If you and I were at equal levels of strength, it would be a different story…but…" _The Emerald trailed.

"Heh. How about I request your seven servers to aid me?" Sonic inquired.

Knuckles gasped, knowing now what Sonic had in mind… but… would Super Sonic be enough?

"_Interesting. This will be a good way to prove that I am more powerful than all my seven servants, and the will of your measly Earth, all put together! I accept your challenge, brave one… and I will not lose." _The emerald said.

"Heh, we'll see." Sonic said.

In a blinding display of power, the Master Emerald Titan summoned the 7 chaos emeralds, which came flying from all directions, and began circling Sonic, in a blinding display of a rainbow of colors. Sonic closed his eyes…

As the emeralds revolved around him, one could visibly see the wounds and bruises healing, until the hedgehog was in mint condition. This hero of the planet was the only thing, yet again, standing in the way of his precious Earth, and total annihilation. He raised his hand up in the air, and all the emeralds spinned closer and closer to it, until all the seven chaos emeralds collided, coming together once again. Sonic underwent his famous transformation, his quills turning upward, and his hue reverting from blue, to solid gold, and his eyes going from green to scarlet, all in a fantastic display of power.

The dust settled, and there, in the air, facing the Titan, floated Super Sonic, flames and embers of sheer power emanating from his body.

"Are you ready?" Super Sonic asked, ever impatient, despite how much power he had. The crystal giant nodded.

"Good. I'm gonna show you… Just how strong the human spirit is!"

End Chapter 

Hahahahaha! I laugh every time I read this… this one's easily my favorite chapter. If you liked it too, please review!

DEAR GOD MAN, JUST DO IT!

Please?

YiffyOne


	8. Chapter 8

Ahhh, this one's very very very short, I warn you… but it explains Shadow's past… and the people loved it on which, by the way, NEEDS TO FUCKING DIE.

Anyway, ignore my hateful comments for now and just read it!

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 8: "The Shadow of a Shadow" 

Tails looked at the Ebony Hedgehog, whom had a peaceful, fascinating presence. Just seeing Shadow made you want to know more about him. The ultimate lifeform…. What shadows lie in a shadow's past?

"Ok… First thing, what happened to you after you fell from ARK?" Tails asked. Shadow did his sign language to respond.

"_I thought I was dead… however…" _ Shadow stopped, and looked around for a moment. "…_ You might want to grab a chair."_

"Oh. Erh, c'mon, this way to my living room…" Tails informed him, walking into his lounge. Shadow followed, making not the slightest little noise.

In fact, Shadow was so quiet, Tails was startled when he turned around.

"Shadow, are you c-…Ah! Oh.. I… didn't hear you come in…" Tails said, holding his heart. He'd thought Shadow was still in there, since he didn't hear so much as a footstep.

"_You never will."_ Shadow mimed.

Tails sat on his Sofa, and looked at the dark one, expectant. A moment passed, and Shadow only stared.

"Aren't you gonna sit down…?" Tails asked.

"_I prefer to stand…" _Was his answer. Tails nodded and made a face, finding that peculiar. _"Are you ready…?"_

"Whenever you are." Tails said, paying careful attention to each letter. Shadow took a deep breath, but didn't make a sound… it was almost as if his very presence was a tangible form of quiet. He began his story…. concentrating on each and every detail.

(Flashback)

It was strange… a very very odd feeling. To be alive one moment, and dead the next… but, what was even more bizarre was this, to be dead one moment, and _alive_ the next.

Shadow's eyes opened, slowly, as he had slight difficulty with it… it was almost like they were glued shut. A dull, blurry view entered his mind. It was a brilliant shade of purple, dotted with white sparkles. It was the night sky.

… The sky… He remembered what Maria had told him a long time ago… she talked about a place called Heaven… She talked about it with those dreamy, sparkling eyes, which glimmered when she spoke of such things. She told him that Heaven was where you go when you die, if you earn the right during your life. She said that it was a perfect place, where you live forever, and you never become sad, and nothing bad ever happens…. Maria said that Heaven was in the sky. Shadow knew that's were Maria was… He'd hoped to go there himself one day…

…But Shadow wasn't in Heaven… Maria said that Heaven was a place where you felt no pain… and his whole body ached.

He tried to turn his head to the side, but a brutal surge of pain stopped him from doing so. He shouted out in agony.

(Flashback intervention)

"Wait a sec…" Tails interrupted… Shadow stopped and looked at him.

"You mean you didn't lose your voice from your injury in the fall…?" He asked. Shadow shook his head.

"_I somehow survived the fall… but I was dying. I couldn't move, and I didn't know where I was." _He explained.

"So how did you survive?" Tails prodded.

"_Hold on, I'm getting to that part…." _He told him, in his gestures.

(Continue Flashback)

So this meant he wasn't in Heaven… so…

Shadow became afraid.

Maria also talked about another place you go when you die… a place called Hell. She said it was a very dark place. She told him that if you weren't good during your lifetime, that's where you go… It was the exact opposite of Heaven, where you spend eternity suffering, being ripped apart again and again in the most brutal way imaginable… is that where Shadow was? He was in pain… but…

It wasn't _that _bad.

After lying there for a while, waiting for something to happen, the paralyzed hedgehog's ears finally began to pick up sound… He heard a washing noise… a very strange one, but familiar.

He remembered, one time, Doctor Gerald gave Maria a present, which he picked up from Earth. It was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen at the time… some kind of odd shell, which had barbs, and spiral in the center of it. He remembered how much Maria laughed when he'd mistaken it for some kind of weapon when she tried to hand it to him... She told him that it was called a 'seashell'. He remembered how confused he was when she told him that you could hear the ocean in it. He didn't believe her. Then she put it up to his ear….

…It sounded just like this. So he was next to the ocean…? He sighed.

"…Where am I…?" He wondered.

Suddenly something unbelievable happened. Something just… appeared above his incapacitated form.

"Huh… looks like you're still alive, huh?" came his own voice.

Shadow was startled. Floating above him was an exact, mirror image of himself. Shadow flinched, hurting himself.

"Hey, take it easy, pal, you're not in the best condition, you know." His reflection said.

"What… who are you!" The ebony original yelled. His replica folded his arms.

It faded away, then reappeared at a different angle, startling him again.

"What? You don't recognize your own shadow? Considering that you were named after one, that's pretty sad!" The floating Shadow speculated.

"Stop doing that… How do you do such things?" The real Shadow asked.

"What, this? All shadows enjoy such abilities!" He explained, fading out, and reappearing upside down.

"And you say… you're… _my_ shadow…?" the injured hedgehog said, somewhat in disbelief. The floating shadow disappeared and reappeared again.

"Yup. I've been following you around for a loooong time buddy. I'm that thing you see on the ground, when it's bright ouside, I'm your reflection, what you see when you look in the mirror, or a puddle, or something shiny." The being claimed. Shadow didn't understand at all.

What…? Now you claim to be my reflection as well…? Nonsense. I don't believe you." The raven hedgehog told the being, "Mirrors simply reflect light, and a shadow is merely absence of it…" The hedgehog stated. The spectre-like 'shadow' shook his head.

"…Man, you're WAY too coherent. You've got it all wrong. It's not that simple. A shadow is something everybody has, as is a reflection. They may mimic you're every move, but that's because they ARE you… in a way." The reflection explained.

Shadow was silent.

"Hmmph. The only reason you can see, and hear me now is because you're about to die." He explained. Shadow looked worried.

"I'm going… to die…?" He lamented. Shadow's shadow reappeared closer to him, grinning ear to ear.

"You don't have to. You and I _could_ make a pact." The reflection said. Shadow's ears perked up.

"A pact…?" He said, curious. His mirror-image nodded.

"Yes. You see, in certain, rare cases, when people are peculiarly in touch with the shadow world, that's where I'm from, the shadow can pass over when that individual is about to die, and appear before them. This is why I'm here in front of you. You're one of those cases. I'm here to make a pact with you. Though I'm not tangible in this world, I _am_ alive, and if we make a pact, that life will be added to yours. A shadow lives a lot longer than a person from you're world, longer as in forever. So, if you agree to make a pact with me…"

"I'll… become immortal…?" Shadow asked in disbelief. His reflection looked pensive.

"Well… not exactly. A pact means we combine. Your mortal, I'm immortal, should we unite, you'll be immortal, but vulnerable." It explained.

"Vulnerable to what…?" Shadow asked.

"Well, most of all, sunlight! You see, if not for me, you'd toast in the sun. Ever wonder why sitting in the shade on a hot day is cooler? The more shadow you have, the less sunlight hurts you. You have your OWN shadow, which protects you. But, If I go into YOU, you've got no shade anymore, and the sun'll fry you." The shadow explained.

"… I **think** I understand… but what else will happen when we make a pact…?" Shadow asked, certain it couldn't be as simple as that. His reflection smiled.

"First of all, You'll die! But you'll come back, once the pact is complete. When you do, Lots of things WILL, and CAN happen. You'll, of coarse, no longer have a shadow, meaning, like I said, the sun will kill you if you're exposed to too much of it. You won't have a reflection anymore, either. Everything else is all uncertain. Sometimes _weird_ side-effects take place, like paler skin, or acquiring a taste for blood. In some cases, I've even heard pacts resulting in the ability to turn into a bat." The messenger of the shadow world explained.

"…What will happen to you…?" Shadow inquired. His 'shadow' grinned.

"I enter your conscience. Your personality won't change any, since I _am_ you, essentially." He said.

"…If you're immortal already, why do you want to chance dying just to save me…?" Shadow asked. The reflection smiled.

"…Because _you _would." He proclaimed. Shadow was touched, and started to understand things in a new light.

"So… Shadow the Hedgehog… will you make a pact with me…?" The Shadow from another world invited, holding out his hand.

Shadow considered for a long moment.

He then struggled, fighting to lift his arm… and after much effort, finally managing to do so, placing his dying palm… in the hand of his mirror-image.

"Yes… I'll do it…" came Shadow's dying words… as he quietly slipped away…

The being bared his fangs, and bit the fallen hedgehog on the neck, penetrating the skin, marking him with the symbol of their unity. Shadow and his shadow unite, both glowing until they became one.

The Pact was a success….

You see Shadow slowly stand up in the distance, unscathed, and more powerful than ever before…

(End Flashback)

At the end of the hedgehog's story, Tails was, quite simply put, FLABBERGASTED. Shadow stood there, expressionless, giving the fox time to register all the information. Tails looked down…

Indeed, Shadow _had_ no shadow.

"…I can't believe this! It's not possible! Not logical!" Tails yelled, seeming to have a breakdown. He ran off into a different room, and came back with large mirror, practically tripping on all of the junk on his floor and almost breaking it on his way in there.

He set the mirror on the ground and pointed it toward the ebony hedgehog. He looked into it, and gasped in pure astonishment.

…He didn't have a reflection, _either_.

Tails ran over to Shadow, and moved his cloak a bit. Shadow saw what he was doing and let him, showing the fox his neck.

The foxboy almost flinched when he saw the bite mark, the mark of the pact…

Tails couldn't believe it…

"Shadow… you're a… a vampire!" the fox boy said, looking like he didn't believe it himself.

Shadow stood there, emotionless as always. He made a few signs.

"…_What is a vampire…?" _He asked with his hands. Tails sweatdropped.

"You don't know what a VAMPIRE is? Well… actually, I'm not surprised… You haven't been around people enough to have heard the myths… or, I guess they're _not _myths…" The two-tailed teen said, looking at the ground. This actually explained a lot, even in the field of science.

"…Wait… so I guess losing your voice was the 'weird side-effect' of the pact…?" Tails questioned. Shadow nodded silently.

"I see… so you've been living in the shadows all these years, literally… cleaning up the streets at night…" The 15 year old genius concluded. Shadow simply nodded again. Tails tried to think of something he didn't know yet to ask him, and he thought of something.

"By the way… is that the only side-effect? Do you… erh… by any chance, have a craving for… blood…?" Tails asked, twiddling his thumbs. He hoped not… He remembered Sonic telling him about vampires sucking blood when he was a kid… he had nightmares for weeks.

Shadow, however, shook his head.

"_I require no sustenance, so I've never tried it." _He gestured. "_…And as far as I know, there is no other side-effect, other than those fore-mentioned." _He added. Tails sighed with relief. He then looked at the ground, and closed his eyes, looking to be deep in thought.

Suddenly Shadow tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump. Tails figured he'd have to get used to Shadow sneaking up on him.

"…_How is Sonic…?" _The jet-black hedgehog asked with his sign language. Tails smiled.

"Sonic's just Sonic. He hasn't changed at all… He still goes out looking for you every now and then, you know." The fox told him. Shadow smiled, but he hid it. Tails saw, though.

After a moment of silence, Tails noticed the ebony hedgehog do something strange. Sort of like a flinch, or a sudden realization of something… anyway you put it, Shadow snapped to attention, and looked out a window.

Tails looked at him peculiarly.

"What's wrong…?" He asked. But before he knew it, Shadow dashed out of the room, and out of the house, as quickly as possible.

Tails gave chase, calling to him.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?"

Shadow didn't respond, but continued to jet-skate in the direction of a neighboring city.

Tails ran outside, but stopped, and looked around.

Shadow was gone without a trace…

End Chapter 

And that's the end of that short ass chapter. What do you think? Shadow? A vampire? Did I make it look cool enough! You'll never understand the pain I went through inventing the 'logical' explanation of how Shadow became a vampire up… unless you've been fucked up the ass by I know.. I know… I feel your pain. And don't worry! It'll get what's coming to it one of these days… I'll SEE TO IT. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Now… if you've got nothing better to do, review… and if you HAVE something better to do…

REVIEW ME DAMMIT! It's the logical choice….

YiffyOne


	9. Chapter 9

And, if you haven't figured it out by now, I curse a lot. Generally, if someone tells me to stop cursing, I'll be like FUCKETY FUCK FUCK I'LL SAY FUCK ALL THE FUCK I WANT YA FUCKIN' FUCKO!

Ok, that was random and besides the point… What IS the point you is a gay mother fucking cockbiting piece of fucking shit, of coarse! Now, with that universal truth fresh in you mind, enjoy chapter 9.

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 9: "An incurable ailment" 

The punk rocker looked out the window of an all-night ice cream parlor.

"Gee, sure is getting late…" He commented.

They'd only been in there for perhaps 30 minutes now, but Cheese had already eaten himself to sleep, and had a sugar crash about 3 minutes after he finished his banana split. He now lay nestled in his owner's lap.

The rabbit-like girl sitting with him nodded, as she licked at her ice cream cone, not really realizing how attractive she looked whilst doing such a thing. Chris blushed a little, and found himself averting his eyes. What happened to his usual cool guy disposition whenever he was around Cream, he wondered?

She was only so naïve, though. She _did_ notice that he tried to avoid eye contact with her. Whenever she looked, he'd look away, maybe even turn his head. She frowned when he did, though. The boy had such pretty eyes. She sometimes wondered why he tried to hide them under those goggles so often. He generally had them strapped to the top of his head, as he did now, but any chance he got, he wore them. It seemed like his eyes were the source of all his weakness… his feelings, things most guys don't like to talk about, she thought…

"So… Chris, I have to ask you, where'd you learn to fight like that…?" The girl asked bluntly. She looked away after he didn't answer right away, not realizing _how_ blunt until it had already come out. Chris looked up a little. He seemed shy.

"Well, uh… I just sorta picked it up… really. It was nothing big." The boy said, rubbing the back of his head. It didn't seem he really wanted to talk about it. However, Cream found she knew nearly nothing of the rock star's past, and her curiosity was aroused.

"From who…? Did Sonic teach you to move that fast…?" She gently prodded. The boy smiled, but she could see right through it. You could tell he didn't really like talking about himself.

"Well… Sonic told me a secret one time. It… ah, you don't wanna hear this, it's kinda dumb…" He said, waving his hand. He seemed a bit embarrassed. The bunny rabbit persisted, however.

"No, tell me. Mr. Sonic never says anything dumb!" She said, with a small smile. That smile… he felt like it melted him. He submitted to it, unable to keep anything from her.

"Oh, ok… He said… he told me that if I run… run every day… and try to run a little faster every time I do… he said that I'd eventually… be as fast as him…" He trailed. He looked up at his crush, whom seemed fascinated, then continued, "…So I did. When I was 12, I started running every day, and trying to push myself every time, and trying to get a faster time every day… And I got faster… and faster… eventually, I was the fastest on the track team…" He trailed again, stopping to pull a small stop-watch out of his hoody. He looked at it. "…I started losing a lot of weight, which made me even faster… even then, I kept running on the track every day, trying to beat my last day's record. Until…" He stopped.

"Until you became as fast as you are now?" She asked, intrigued. He smiled a little, though it was clear that he was a bit sad on the inside.

"Well, I still try to run every now and then… but I don't have as much time as I used to anymore…" He said, his spirits diminishing, that smile getting ever faker. "If only… If only I were as fast as Sonic… I'd have all the time in the world. I could get everything done in a snap, and go wherever I pleased…" The boy said, clearly showing how he , even now, looked up to the hedgehog. Cream frowned.

"Chris…" She said. He looked up a little, their eyes actually connecting for once, "… Speed isn't everything. Time isn't either. That's the good thing about life… it's full of lots of different things. You're the fastest human I've ever seen, Chris, and you're really sweet. You can do lots of things plenty of people would never even dream of doing. And I know it's hard to find the time to practice all the things you wanna be good at. But it's _because_ we have so little time…" She trailed, taking his hand in a cute manner, making his heart jump, "…that makes it so wonderful." She finished, smile oozing with friendliness.

The young hotshot found himself being infected with the feeling, grinning back, looking at her in true admiration for a moment. But only a moment, a moment, which, as she'd stated so beautifully, was wonderful, though fleeting. She let go of his hand, and it seemed so much colder when she did, though he didn't want to be possessive, he'd wished she would have just left it there, if only a moment more.

He looked at the little stop-watch, and hesitantly handed it to her. She took it, and examined it for a moment, then began pressing the various buttons, making them beep, obviously having no clue how to operate it. Chris watched her, amused. When she messed with it for an irregularly long time, he chuckled at her face when she looked up from it. She giggled a bit too.

They both laughed for a good minute, for no real reason. Perhaps they were just giddy from the frozen treats, or perhaps they had a rare moment, when raw emotion just comes out, no explanation, no triggering factor… just laughter.

Hahaha.

Eventually, however, laughter has to come to an end, as most things do. The time came for Chris to walk Cream home. They got up and left the place, leaving a rather generous tip, as Chris, being a teenager, was loose with money. Even if he did have a lot of it.

They would've rode the GlimmerBolt II, but Chris didn't think that it was really made for two… plus Cream probably wouldn't like it. So, there they were, hoofin' it. The young daredevil didn't mind, but he was, it seemed, consistently worrying about _her_ state of comfort.

"…You _sure_ you don't want me to call the limo? I have my cell on me…" He offered, for the third time. She merely shook her head, ears swinging too and fro when she did.

"… My house isn't very far from here, Chris. It's ok. I _have_ feet." She said, making the boy feel very dumb. He shouldn't try to look so overly concerned, he mentally told himself. She wouldn't have said something so sassy had she known he'd taken it to heart, though.

They walked, and it was dark, as small packets of conversation passed over them, in between footsteps and awkward silences. Chris was feeling quite anxious… he didn't want to leave the girl with the impression that he was so dull… he just had to say something.

"Hey, Cream…" He started… but before he could turn the two words into any form of conversation, the bunnygirl suddenly tripped on something, and, with a shrill yelp, fell downward.

Chris was only half looking, but his arms shot out nonetheless to catch her… however, just by a mere inch, he missed, and she fell face first into a large puddle of water, Cheese flying out of her arms and bouncing once or twice on the sidewalk before waking up and wailing.

The boy gasped, and immediately went to the girl's aid.

"Cream! Are you okay!" He interrogated, holding her entire weight with ease.

She coughed a few times, and a few tears came out, then she moved around a lot, meaning she wanted him to put her down. She was shivering, and her entire head was soaked.

"I.. I'm f-fine… I j-j-just slipped on s-something…" She chattered. "Is Ch-ch-cheese ok?"

Chris left her momentarily to grab the chao, with much difficulty, as it was pitching an utter fit. Cream held her arms out, shivering, signaling him to hand him over. He did, and she, through chattering teeth, hushed the baby-like creature into a calmer, less noisy sobbing fit. Eventually she quieted the small blue one all together.

However, a certain so-called 'hotshot' was feeling quite like hitting himself about now. He couldn't believe it… he wasn't fast enough to catch her… She was a lot shorter than he was, and she had choppier, quicker steps. He mentally scolded himself… that was no excuse for him to have let her fall into that puddle… he could still hear her chattering a little… poor thing must have been freezing.

With reluctance, Chris took off his large hoody and draped it over her. She looked up, and stared for a moment. He looked away, awkwardly, hoping that wasn't too much of an aggressive action toward her… you see people in the movies do things like that all the time, and they were almost always in love. However, the men in _those _movies probably would've caught her… like he should have.

Despite anything that might have suggested that she was not thankful for the gesture, she smiled and thanked him, pulling it over her freezing little form. Chris smiled, and almost laughed. It was already too big for him… when _she _wore it, it was almost laughable.

While he finished walking her home he seemed to apologize over 30 times for not catching her, or Cheese, (but mainly her). She just told him that it wasn't his fault, and that accidents happen. Eventually they arrived at her home.

"…So uh… you gonna be alright…?" Chris asked, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Chris… I'll be fine. Honestly, you worry about me more than Amy does…" She said, though her giggle showed that she meant it in the best way. He chuckled a little.

"Well… if you say so…" He responded, trying to think of something, anything to prolong their time together. He was slowly beginning to discover that he wasn't very good at this…

She just nodded, standing in her doorway, watching him. He seemed to linger around… maybe he still wanted something, she thought. He looked a bit like he had something he wanted to tell her.

A long moment passed, and Chris found that he didn't have the courage to say anything… do anything. Not right now, he thought.

"Well, eh, I guess I'd better go…" The lovestruck punk told her, waving, and walking backwards, slowly.

"…Bye." Cream said, waving once, and shutting the door. It was hard to believe that the boy who'd had the courage to save her life… was so shy all the sudden.

Chris slumped a little, disappointed deeply in himself. He still had a long, long way to go… He figured she was probably already thinking about Tails, and forgetting about him, by now…

And, sadly, he'd be right. But she could never forget Chris, not after all the times they'd shared.

Cream watched Chris leave through her window, and then sat down, laying the suddenly waking Cheese on her couch.

"…ah…Achoo!" Cream squeaked. The chao on the couch looked every which way, and finally at her. She sniffled.

"Uh oh… looks like I god a cold…" She said, sniffling again.

----------

Tails did some research on why Amy, Rouge, and various other women reacted the way they did… he came to no conclusion at all… He simply couldn't figure out what was causing it… but he knew there had to be SOME logical explaination…

Could it be he was simply that irresistable?

"Heh, that's flattering." Tails told himself in the mirror. It was the same mirror he couldn't see Shadow in.

Tails turned around, checking to see if the hedgehog was, despite the fact that he obviously was not, there. He wouldn't be able to see him in the mirror, nor hear him, so he just thought he'd check.

Suddenly, the foxboy's mind began to flutter, slowly but surely to the project he was working on… the Hypno Gun. He never _did_ make a solution potent enough to successfully invoke a hypnotic state…

Heck, most of it ended up on his precious pelt. He could STILL smell that stuff…

All of the sudden, something in the little fox's head finally clicked….

"…that's…that's… Oh my god." He said, at a loss of his own realization. "That MUST be it! It simply HAS to be! I…." He trailed. Remembering earlier events, he suddenly… surprisingly… especially considering his character…

Began to weigh out his options. He'd never gained any real female attention before, though, being 15, it was something he thought about time after time again… Only natural, that he might have the occasional thought. Whether it be about Rouge, Amy, or…Cream.

Cream… Why is it, he wondered, was she the only of the three he ever _really _thought about? He, quite simply put, didn't understand his own emotions for the girl. It just simply… transcended logic, that he, despite having virtually no contact with her whatsoever, seemed to have his whole intellect consumed by her, time after time again.

Yes, Tails, despite popular belief, thought about Cream. Though he tried to block it out, it seemed to only come back to his mind stronger than before… her image, her eyes, the cute little ears… various other parts he inevitably, and instinctively thought about…

He'd never admit it, because he didn't quite get it himself… the girl, simply put, plagued his busy mind. And it wasn't in his nature to talk about anything he didn't fully and clearly understand, especially not something like that. Like her… Of coarse, he thought, there was nothing wrong with the rabbit… really, nothing at all. In fact, if his memory served him right, she was always quite nice. However, that didn't seem to have any effect on the fact that the thought of her… the unnecessary, though lovely, thought of her was a nuisance to his work…

He found himself sitting there, just staring out into space, doing what he'd just told himself not to do, before he snapped out of it.

"Eh…?" the foxboy said, tilting his head, then shaking his head of anything unproductive.

He looked ouside through a window. It was really dark now, and it began to rain again, just like it had earlier, only it looked like it was falling a bit harder. It was probably somewhere around 11 PM.

He suddenly had a gut wrenching feeling… the kind of feeling you get… when a friend is in trouble…

End Chapter 

Also horribly short. I know, I know… the ones after this are longer, I friggin swear. For now, just bear with me… I know this one dragged on a little bit, but at least leave me a flame in a review's clothing.

And by the way, I hate flames. They're nearly as gay as, you guessed it, in conclusion, needs to burn in hell and I need some tylonol… Just keep reading… More action to come in the next chapters.

YiffyOne


	10. Chapter 10

Ok, we're finally getting back to Super Sonic! This chapter is VERY action packed, and epic! Not only that, but there's a delightful plot twist I think you'll all like. Please, just read it!

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 10: "The deadly Chaos Troupe" 

The glowing, gold hero smiled radically as he pointed toward his enemy, taunting him. Over confident? No. Not only was the power of the legendary Chaos Emeralds rushing through his every vein, but the fate of the planet rested on his shoulders yet again. Sonic couldn't lose… and he wouldn't. He'd never been stronger than he was right now…

The Master Emerald Titan found itself enraged as it looked at the hedgehog… he'd swat him out of the air like a mere fly! The giant rushed, and attacked, it's fist flying at high speeds toward Super Sonic… The hedgehog just hovered there, arms folded, waiting… not budging an inch, until the fist was at his _nose_. But, just when it seemed, even though it was targeted at the fastest being on the planet, would be a sure-fire hit, the flaming savior disappeared, as if into mid-air. This threw the green titan off balance, making it look rather foolish.

"_Where!" _It's voice came, but that was all that was heard from the monstrosity, before being knocked on the side of the head by a ferocious kick from the lightspeed hedgehog, whom seemed to reappear out of nowhere.

The titan was knocked to the ground, and skidded on it's back, going an incredible distance before it collided with a building, which collapsed onto the gargantuan powerhouse.

Super Sonic, again, levitated midair, as it begun to rain, ever grinning, ever confident. Each drop of rain that fell from the night sky evaporated immediately upon hitting the 24 karat body, which was hot with sheer energy. The titan slowly got up, it's eyes glinting.

"…You're gonna have to do better than that!" Sonic taunted again.

The thing that enraged the masterful titan the most was the factuality that the hedgehog could now match the speed of Chaos Control… without even using it. He hadn't expected the opponent to be so formidable.

"_Two can play at that game!"_ The giant said, appearing instantly behind Sonic, leg ready to kick him into the earth…

But before any such thing could take place, the golden pyre-hog glanced, disdain in his eyes, flipped backwards, with absolutely perfect timing, hitting the Master Emerald Titan directly in the head, with both feet, in yet another vicious kick, chips of green, emerald-like armor flying from the large indention of damage left from the assault. Needless to say, the giant was sent soaring skyward… Sonic grinned, he wasn't done yet… It was time to give him a taste of his own medicine.

The inferno-covered ball of spikes and energy disappeared and reappeared to intercept the giant, high enough to touch a cloud. He literally spiked him downward, like the enormous creature was some sort of volleyball, and then, yet AGAIN, reappeared before the creature could have any peace, hitting him, flames flying out of each attack, which was done with more ferocity than the last… Super Sonic did this a total of 12 times, before landing a crushing blow to it's center, sending it sailing into the ocean.

Super Sonic calmed himself, and floated in the middle of the air, waiting for it to resurface. He knew it was tougher than that. Having vengeance for the attack that nearly killed him earlier , he succeeded in quelling the temporary lapse in his temper. Fury would only serve to expend his precious energy.

After a long time, the Titan did not resurface, but suddenly was attacking from the empowered hero's right side. He glanced that way, yawning, before dodging the attack simply. The Giant immediately used Chaos control again, this time appearing above sonic, whom never so much as unfolded his arms, moving, and narrowly, but easily dodging again. Again, the giant used this strategy, again, and again, and once more, each attempt being dodged with the utmost grace and simplicity. I mean, it was as if he was putting no effort whatsoever into these amazing dodges…

He made it look easy.

"_Why! Why can't I hit you! You should NOT be this powerful, even with the assistance of the servers!"_ The Emerald roared. Sonic dodged a few aimless, angry swipes and floated backward, a serious 'you can't win' look on his golden features. It was embarrassing… that the giant, nearly 1000 times his size, had managed to land not a single attack upon the lightning quick firefly, where as he had already landed 16 crushing blows upon him… It was as if there was no competition!

"First off, my name is _SONIC, _dude. I was already fast enough to begin with, if you didn't know. Second, you have nothing to fight for, you attack with rage… but me, I've got no choice but to win… everything that I care about is on the line…" The glimmering gold hero stated, his fiery body lighting up the night sky like a million fireflies.

"… You… move in slow motion to me. Chaos control won't help you. Brute strength won't, either, seeing as you can't seem to hit me with any of it. You know, you can still give up… if not…" Super Sonic stated, trailing. His flames, which calmly flickered like a candle, suddenly blazed like a blow torch in an impressive display of raw power. "…Then I'll have to **destroy** you." The way the deadly, supremely intimidating hedgehog said those words struck fear even into the mighty Master Emerald Titan, whom noticeably took a step back, trying to think of something within it's vast intelligence.

"…_What is it that drives you so…?"_ It asked it's formidable opponent. Sonic smiled.

"My friends… I fight for them. For Tails, for Amy, for Knuckles, for Chris, heck, even for Rouge… And Shadow, too, wherever he is… **they **are the source of _my_ power!" The fiery hero shouted, with great passion burning in his crimson eyes.

Unfortunately… Sonic didn't know that the Master Emerald would take that seriously… it plotted, and, in a desperation attempt to win at any cost, he secretly consulted the minds of his 7 servers…

-----------------+----+

"My servants… hear my thoughts… " The Master Emerald called. 

"_What is it, master? Do you want us to discontinue serving your foe…?" _The essence of the green emerald asked the controller, from within Sonic.

"_No, you must not make me look dishonorable, Artimus." _The controller told his servant.

"_What would you have us do…?" _A silvery essence asked after a brief moment.

"Alastor, I would have you, and your seven brothers and sisters leave your capsules, and walk the Earth once more…" The Master Emerald told them.

"_All right! It's been centuries since we've been able to stretch our legs!" _A light blue essence chortled.

"Indeed, Airy, it has been a long while… what's the occasion, master?" The darker blue essence stated.

"Aigas, I wish of you and your comrades to seek out, and dispose of these friends he speaks of… You remember the names…?" The large Emerald asked his children.

"Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Chris, Rouge, and Shadow… I think…" The yellow essence said, sounding unsure.

"Yeah, Armic's right, that sounds about like what this fool said…" The red emerald stated, it's voice tinted with anger, and anticipation.

"Alfador, you sure sound excited!" The pink essence said, in a deep womanly voice.

"You kidding, Aile? Alfador is always excited about battle…" Artimus stated.

"My servants, go now, do what you've been instructed to do… find them… and kill them." The controller of all seven ordered, evil infesting it's normally wise, virtuous voice…

"We will not disappoint you, master…" Artimus declared, ever faithful to his liege.

--------+

Sonic levitated, and raised one golden eyebrow…

"What are you up to?" He asked. The giant had been standing in one spot for a long time… it was very suspicious… What was he plotting?

"It is none of you're concern…" The Titan said, quickly unleashing a new attack, which consisted of it jumping into the air, up from the vast water in which it stood in, and back down, letting gravity take it's coarse…

The result was a large, powerful stream of water jetting up from the ocean, heading toward the fiery hero.

"Huh… so you think you can douse me, eh?" Sonic said to himself, not impressed. He dodged, and began to charge… but… he stopped…

Something was wrong. Sonic clenched his stomach, which, for some unknown reason, was lurching with pain… It felt like something was trying to burst out from within…

"Ah-? Wh-wha… AHGG? Gerh…ErHk… GaaaahAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Came some unearthly noises, seeming to be ripped from the hero's mouth, his shriek of agony echoing for miles…

A blinding flash, across the sea, a sudden crash, a sonic boom erupted from him, as a rainbow-colored syndicate of lights shot out from his torso, in all different directions, at first, then meeting in the distance…

Sonic looked up, his flames, the ones that once engulfed his whole body, barely flickering enough to even be noticed… he was still Super Sonic… but all the sudden… he felt so weak… so feeble… His fire, where it once could be called a flamethrower, a volcano even… now whispered off his pale gold body, at the consistency that was only half a step above a match…

"Ahg… What… what did you do!" The gold, but fading hero demanded to know, holding his stomach.

"Is something the matter…?" The Titan asked, malice tainting his voice… as he chaos controlled below the pale, diminished Sonic, a leg meeting with his head, sending him rocketing into a building.

Sonic saw the attack coming from a mile away, but he hadn't recovered from whatever the Master Emerald Titan had just done to him, and was hit dead on…

This… didn't look very good.

"Ergh… why do the bad guys always have to cheat…?" Sonic growled, weakly, dashing back to the sea, where the Titan awaited…

------+

7 colorful clouds of energy jolted through the sky…. seeming to move in slow motion, as they lit up the night sky like a rainbow colored lightning bolt, before, in a blinding flash of energy, and a thunderous explosion…

…One could see seven figures rise, the smoke of the collision clear, as they step out of the crater in which they created… The seven youthful-looking servants, each toned a different hue, looked about them in what could be only discerned as a malicious fascination…

Each unique character looked almost human, if you didn't include their strange clothing, unnatural hair and eye colors, and the ornate weapons each one held…

"… Looks like a lot's changed in the last 1000 years…" Said one of them, walking to the side, moving toward one of the town's vast buildings, and touching it with interest… He grinned in sheer fascination.

Just by looking at the young man, one could tell he was the leader of the group… His hair was dark green, held back by a purple bandana, and spiked in a crew-cut. He wore mostly green clothing, but his body was partially covered by leather armor, and on his side, one could only admire the beautiful hilt of his longsword, which rested on his waist, within it's scabbard… Whenever this one looked at you, you could see his emerald-colored eyes glint with malice.

Another of the seven walked toward the leader, putting an hand on his shoulder.

"Artimus… let us not forget our mission." The grimmest-looking of the team said, his voice ever serious.

This one had long, pearly hair, bound by a circlet, and wore heavy platinum-colored armor, and a long, white cape, which was embroidered as if it belonged to royalty. In his right hand was a halberd, which was an odd mixture between a spear and an axe… It was decorated just as ornately as the sword, but make no mistake, was sharp, and deadly… The eyes of this one were mirrorlike, and resonated with a firm, disciplined aura.

Artimus turned his head, and nodded, ever loyal to the master.

"Yes, you're right, Alastor… we must waste no time at all…" The deadly leader announced, so all could hear. Another stepped forward.

"So, how are we going to go about doing this…?" The young, silky-voiced male asked.

His hair was a deep, sea blue, and it was all gelled back, except for a few bangs that hung over his eyes. He pushed his silvery glasses further up his nose with a free finger, and they flashed in the light. He wore a sleeveless blue robe, black pants, and black boots. Upon his hands were leathery black gloves, on waist, a navy body band, with an ornate piece of metal in it's center. The man's look was a peculiar combination of intelligence, and deadliness. An ornate black pistol was strapped to his left thigh, resting in it's holder, just waiting to see combat. Past the glasses, you could see his dark blue eyes, which seemed to know something.

One of the female members stepped forth and smirked, somewhat with mischief, somewhat with ill-intent, which flowed freely from the grinning face.

"I say we just kill all the worthless mortals, Aigas! Hehehe… at least some of them will be the ones we were sent to slay!" She giggled, showing her inner taint.

This one had the most beautiful, shimmering azure hair you've ever seen… Her lengthy locks in pigtails on the back. She wore a rather tight, sky blue body-suit. On the back of her belt, there were two curved sheaths, containing two razor-sharp daggers. The girls glowing, cerulean eyes were large, though you could easily detect a loathsome aura emanating from them. She looked a playful kind of dangerous, as she hung on her brother, Aigas, obviously irritating him.

"Airy, come now, stop hanging on me like that, I haven't had any elbow space for over 10 centuries, why deprive me of it now?" Aigas complained her, making her pout as the two began to argue for a moment.

"…Artimus, do you think we should do what Airy said? It HAS been a while…" Came a deep, smooth female voice.

This woman looked as if to be the oldest in the group. Her hair was a pinkish-purple, as was her lipstick, and eye-shadow. She wore a mixture of pink and purple garbs, and some tight leathers upon her loins, making her look a bit on the (slutty) trashy side… Upon her right thigh, which was actually quite proportioned, was a whip, or rather a cat of 9-tails, upon closer examination. It was made out of an unknown, jet-black animal hide, and looked amazingly versatile and deadly. Her eyes were narrow, raspberry-colored, and had the look of someone who couldn't be trusted. It was doubtless, this rose had thorns…

"Well… I don't know, Aile… I suppose it couldn't hurt… hehe…" Artimus responded, smirking a little. Another of the 7 stepped forth, and shook his head.

"No… We can't do that!" The youngest of the 7 said. Every other stared at him for a moment, and he looked a little embarrassed.

"I-I mean… We were ordered strictly to kill only the friends the hedgehog mentioned… If we went on another killing spree without permission…" The boy trailed.

The first thing you notice about the shorter blonde boy, amongst his siblings, is that he was clearly the black sheep in the family. His hair was scruffly, and fluffy, and a handsome shade of goldenrod… He wore a light orange and yellow jacket that had a split tail (think tuxedo meets trenchcoat) that went to his knees. The sleeves were wide, and hung down like a samurai's, or a priest's robe would. He had on brown slacks, and his torso was bound by a thick sash that formed into a large orange ribbon on his front. In his left hand, there rested a staff, which was slightly taller than him, and was decorated almost like something the Pope would carry. If you looked into his shimmering amber eyes, you'd see an unsure soul, that didn't seem to fit in. You'd also notice, that amongst all of them, his presence was the only one that seemed to have an absence of the thick evilness that his brothers and sisters all seemed to have in common. He looked to be no more than 14, when in reality, he was just as old as his kin.

Alastor, however, immediately agreed with him.

"Armic is correct… we should not deviate from our master's instructions…" The pearly-haired knight spoke, blunt, grim, and to-the-point. Artimus hesitantly nodded.

"…Hmph… congratulations, squatty-body, your squeamishness has once again ruined our fun." The last of the group scoffed, slugging the smaller Armic, whom vocalized his pain with an 'owch!', and rubbed the spot were he got frogged.

This one looked like a scary sort of bully; the kind you'd avoid like the plague all of the school-year, until you graduate, then immediately get an out-of-state job. He was easily the tallest of all of the party, and upon his head was some inferno-red hair, which was spiked straight up, imitating a campfire, suggesting that he was, literally or metaphorically, a real hot-head. Upon his waist, and on his powerful-looking forearms, there were bandages, of the type a fighter, a boxer, or a monk would wear. He wore nothing else on his upper torso, which had an abundance of scars, and muscles. The only other items of clothing on his body were some black pants, which were cut off at his shins, and a scarlet sash, which was tied at his side. A noticeable difference in he and his kin was that he carried no weapon… though, one look in his fiery, blood-red eyes, and you'd know that he didn't need one.

"Alfador… That hurt…" Armic whined. The larger, buffer Alfador only grinned, and proceeded to mess up his brother's hair beyond fixing with his taped hand, making the boy look highly agitated, though probably not willing to do anything about it.

"Good!" He remarked snidely, making the gold-eyed boy pout.

"Oh, leave the poor kid alone, he's already messed up enough with you torturing him all the time…" Aigas remarked, adjusting his specs. Alfador merely stuck his tongue out immaturely.

"You boys are so childish. You're acting like 400 year-olds!" Airy commented, crossing her arms.

"Look who's talking…" Aile mused, rolling her eyes.

The 4 of them persisted to bicker, as all siblings generally do, until Artimus finally became sick of it all, raised his gauntlet to his mouth, and whistled loudly, making them all stop immediately, and turn to look at him.

"Will you idiots quit it…? What would the master think if he saw you all acting like such fools?" The green-garbed man scolded, fathering the less mature part of the group. Alastor and Armic merely stood there, knowing they weren't categorized with them. The others merely hid their hatred of being lectured by their peer, though not very professionally.

Alfador yawned.

"So… what are we supposed to do then…?" He said, seeming bored. Aigas konked the red-head on the head, just hard enough to annoy him.

"Moron, he wants us to discuss how to find the objectives." The more intellectual one remarked. The more muscle-headed one fumed, and raised a hand to pop him one, but saw Artimus' glare, and decided against it.

Aigas and Alfador never did get along very well.

"I think we should split up. It's the obvious choice." Airy blurted, seeming full of herself. Aile nodded.

"Huh, you had a good idea for once in your immortality…" Aile said through a grin. Airy had a big anime-style vein popping out on her forehead, grimacing at her sister, whom smirked smugly.

"Hopeless…" Artimus said in aggravation, his hand over his eyes.

"… Nonetheless, I agree with Airy. We'll cover more ground, and find our target's faster…" Alastor said, ever focused on the mission.

The leader nodded.

"Very well then… we'll all split up, and seek out these 'friends' of his." Artimus said. Airy grabbed Aigas cartoonishly.

"NO! I wanna go with Aigas!" She squealed.

"I'm going too. I hate being surrounded by strangers…" Aile announced, looking at nothing in particular. Artimus let out a deep sigh of agitation.

"Fine. You three do whatever you want… I'm going solo." Artimus said, folding his arms. He thought the whole thing to be foolish. They were all powerful enough to take on anybody in this era… other than maybe that hedgehog.

"Me too." Armic said, raising a hand rather cutely. No one seemed to notice though.

"Same here…" Alastor said.

"Peh, I actually can't WAIT to get away from ALL of you. I already know where the guardian is, anyway…" Alfador boasted, referring to Knuckles. Airy gasped.

"Really! Where is he!" She demanded to know. Alfador looked disdainful.

"Hey, dibs! I'M gonna tear that echidna limb from limb… so forget about it." He said, making Airy pout.

"Where was it that you saw him…?" Alastor inquired.

"You didn't notice him present before the battle between the master and that hedgehog began, Alastor?" Artimus said over folded arms. "I'd think YOU, of all people would catch something like that." He proclaimed. Alastor shrugged.

"Huh? I thought I was the only one who saw him!" Alfador said, making a humorous face.

"Please, you're not the only one with eyes, you heathen." Aigas began. "I was about to head that direction myself…" He said, pretentiously.

"…Hey! The guardian's MINE, ya four-eyed geek!" The hotheaded Alfador shouted, shoving his brother into a wall, though it seemed more commonplace rough-housing between the two than actual, serious fighting.

However, Aigas began to draw his gun, and Alfador put up his dukes, and they began to approach one another…

But they were stopped by a shimmering silver sword coming between them. Artimus succeeded in persuading them into calming down with only that. The leader sheathed his blade after twirling it skillfully for a moment.

"Alfador called it, so he gets to destroy the guardian. It won't take three or four of you to defeat him…" The leader declared. Aigas turned around, folded his shoulders, and gave a loud HMPH, as Alfador seemed to rub it in with his rude snickering. With a single glare from the threatening Artimus, the two immediately stopped their childishness.

"…Good. Now, if you don't mind me, we've wasted enough time already… get moving." He added, his green eyes flashing as some sparkling, solid white wings of pure energy materialized upon his back. He flapped himself into the air with great simplicity.

Being the leader of the Master Emerald's servers, better known as the infamous Chaos Troupe, Artimus was gifted with the most power… these including flight… It was well known amongst the 7 of them… whoever had the Wings of Chaos had the most power… and the most authority. In theory, should one of the Emeralds, or the actual essence of an emerald, (aka, one of the Troupe) be destroyed, the Wings would be passed on to another Emerald. However, in all the 5000 years of their existence, this had, and probably would never happen… so they assumed.

Artimus flew upward, stopping once to look down on the Earth, to make sure that his brothers and sisters were doing as he told them to… they all spread out slowly, except for Aigas, Aile, and Airy, who all traveled in the same direction. They, despite the rules, rarely ever obeyed him… so he was good to get off with even that much.

With that, the assassins of the Master Emerald began to seek their targets… The deadly Chaos Troupe would spill the blood of the living again, for the first time in 1000 years!

**End Chapter**

Hehe… yup, OC's. The Chaos Troupe is one of my favorite twists in this story… I hope it'll be yours too! I know, I know… the names are difficult to learn now, but you'll memorize them all by the time you get to Chapter 14.

Anyway, please review this chapter, mother fuckers!

And if you really are considering reviewing, I'm sorry I called you a mother fucker.

If you just reviewed, I'm REALLY sorry I just called you a mother fucker.

If you didn't review the chapter, than I'm very glad I called you a mother fucker, because you ARE.

YiffyOne


	11. Chapter 11

Now everybody totally loves this chapter… because, put simply, Vampire Shadow kicks some ass! You'll love it, but be fore-warned, this is a bit dark… but then again, so is Shadow.

If you're uncomfortable with death in general, you might wanna skip some parts…

But if you love kickass fight scenes, and/or Shadow the hedgehog, then you'll wanna read every little detail.

_**Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 11: "Crematorium"**_

Shadow skated, he skated and skated. As fast as his legs would take him, he went, traveling in the direction that set his senses off.

Somebody in that direction was frequently using Chaos Control.

Being the ultimate life form, he could, as a birthright, sense every speck of chaos energy within a 300 mile radius. It was close… a massive surge of energy, one of the likes he hadn't sensed since….

Honestly, he'd never sensed one of this capacity. And what was worse, it all didn't seem to be in the same place… There was one MASSIVE spike of chaos energy, and then there were seven smaller ones, most of which were spreading apart. It was none of his concern, but something… with THAT much destructive power had the potential to obliterate this planet in one fell swoop. He could NOT let that happen…

Shadow, however, did not like the pace at which he was moving on his feet alone.

With that, the ebony hedgehog's image seemed to disorient itself for a moment, before his whole body was enveloped in the blackest shade of jet you could possibly imagine, making him a mere silouette of the most raven of blacks.

If there existed a shade darker than black, that was it.

The silouette of Shadow disoriented again, almost as if it were a hologram, covered by static, before it, quite literally speaking, took to the air, soaring through the sky at unimaginably high speeds.

This was a power gifted to the shady hero by his Vampiric rebirth. The power to move, half in the shadow world, half in the real world. He remembered the time he first used it… it fatigued him so greatly, he couldn't stand up for a while. He'd train his body to be more durable, house more stamina, and attack with more ferocity than ever before.

Within a flash, the amazing power had him at his destination. He looked, from atop a skyscraper… easily balancing himself on the tip of the needle-like point of it, the moon large behind him, as he looked across the sea in horror...

Out there, his hawk-like eyes could see what was doubtlessly the largest conglomeration of Chaos Energy he'd ever seen in his entire life… was this the _true_ power of the Master Emerald that was prophesized?

He watched helplessly as it did battle with, to his dismay to discover, Super Sonic. But… Super Sonic, he was losing. Bad. The hedgehog watched, terror etched on his face as the golden firefly was knocked about, too and fro by the much larger Master Emerald Giant.

He shook his head, trying to think of something he could do…

Nothing came up. Much like Sonic, he was not gifted with the ability to swim… and he could only fly by using his power, which consumed far too much energy, even after years of using it.

The Vampire could be seen pondering, a deep pondering, the type where one closes there eyes and blocks everything out in order to achieve total focus…

However, his meditation was interrupted by a sharp spike of energy directly behind him… no, scratch that, THREE of them…

Shadow leaped from the building, his cloak flying every which way, as he darted about it, landing perfectly at various points until he was a safe distance from the ground…

Somebody was there! He quickly hid himself, flipping behind a small picket fence as three peculiar individuals walked by, slowly…

0---------()

"…Aigas, this is no fun! It's the middle of the night, and nobody is even awake! How are we supposed to find our target in the dead of night, when there's not even one single human to interrogate!" Airy whined. She flipped one of her sky-blue bangs from her face.

"Stop you're complaining, all we need to do is look for one who… is not like the humans. it shouldn't be too hard." The intellectual gunner told her. She folded her arms and made a face, much like the one a child does when they don't get their way.

Aile merely walked, silent most of the journey so far. Suddenly, she saw something out of the corner of her keen orchard pink eyes…

She stopped, and looked in that direction quickly. Whatever it was, it was fast… it ducked out of view with the utmost speed, and no noise whatsoever… it was dark… almost like a shadow. It was too stealthy for her, seeing as she continued, dismissing it as a figment of her imagination.

"Hmmph. We've been out here so long, I'm starting to see things! Aigas! Are you sure you remember the names of these 'friends' of his we're supposed to kill?" She asked, doubtful.

"Pssh, it's simple, Chris, Tails, the guardian… umm…" Aigas trailed… He sweatdropped.

"You idiot! That's not even half of them! This is hopeless!" Airy scoffed.

"Shut up! We'll find them, they'll find us, I don't care… We'll tear these buildings down, if we have to… We WILL find them, and we WILL end them… Of that I assure you." The man in glasses told her. They both calmed down after that…

---+

That was close, Shadow thought, as he followed the three… The one with the whip quite nearly spotted him… he almost flinched when he heard the words in which they spoke…

Tails… Chris… They intended to kill them…? He shook his head as he stalked. Now he HAD to follow them… make sure they stayed out of trouble… even if he had to implement brute force… which he might. He felt another jolt of Chaos Energy coming from them, and it chilled his bones…

These people… Did they ALL have a Chaos Emerald? It seemed that way, as each one of them gave off a full-on energy, at least equal to one emerald each…

It was so strange, he thought. Their colors… normal humans didn't look like that… and Shadow was no fool. He easily connected the dots, discerning _them_ from normal…

But, at the same time, it didn't make any sense… He saw Super Sonic not 5 minutes ago… so how was it these… people had any of the Emeralds…?

He quietly, and stealthily stalked after them, managing to stay within 10 feet of the trio without making a single noise. He was very good at this, it seemed…

He was, quite simply put, compelled to follow them. He had know way of getting information from them, seeing as he could not speak… but on the other hand, by following them, he may find out the secret behind the energy in which they emitted. Energy that was doubtlessly of Chaos.

-------+---+-+--

Aigas kept walking, and his two sisters followed, but…. something simply wasn't right, he could feel it in his very blood… a chilling feeling… almost like they were being watched… Feelings like this always had some sort of explanation, he thought… No noise, no visual, but the smallest, most inconspicuous form of presence that one can just… feel sometimes.

The navy-haired server turned around, quick, drawing his weapon, pointing it in various places, startling his siblings.

"What is it, Ai-.." His sister started, but her brother's voice shot through hers.

"WHO'S THERE!" Aigas shouted, his voice echoing across the streets. Airy and Aile immediately drew their weapons, and turned in that direction, arming themselves, taking complex, but deadly-looking battle stances.

A moment passed, and there was no answer. Aigas didn't budge, but his sisters looked confused, wondering where the enemy was.

"Aigas! What's wrong with you! There is no foe here!" Aile scolded him. He pulled a gloved finger to his lips.

"SHH!" He hissed. His eyes were completely serious. Aile sighed heavily and continued to look around, hopelessly.

After another long, long moment, all three of them were startled, as something moved into view, a dark creature, his motions almost ghost-like, slowly, and menacingly leveling with them. It was apparently hiding in an ally way.

-------

To have spotted him, or only so much as felt his aura, these HAD to be magnificently abnormal humans… Shadow could not believe it himself, but he entered their view. It was too late to turn back now. If he were to retreat, he'd risk losing them. Not only that, but it seemed they intended to do harm to his friends, and he could not allow that to take place… he was only trying to gather as much information as possible… before he would stop them from whatever wicked deeds they had brewing in those evil minds.

A thick, malicious evil… he could feel it, and it was strong. The kind of those who'd seen countless battles, spilled countless pints of blood, ended countless lives…

He COULD not allow a single one of them to live.

The blue-haired man in glasses cocked his pistol, and Shadow analyzed the movement, and the weapon. From the way he held it, and the way he cocked it alone, the Vampire could easily tell that he knew how to use it. Not only that, but it was a very nicely crafted weapon… he tensed himself, and took a apprehensive stance, instantly knowing this would be no easy victory.

"…Who are you?" The man with the gun demanded to know.

Shadow, could not, and would not respond. He just stood there, wind blowing his cloak a bit. He was perfectly calm. After a brief moment, the girl with knives stomped the ground angrily.

"You heard Aigas, you fool! Answer the question!" She hissed. The hedgehog only glanced her way, and then back to this 'Aigas'… ignoring her completely.

"…Grrrh! Answer now, you freak!" The other Woman shouted, cracking her whip-like weapon in the air, trying to intimidate him. He didn't pay her any attention either.

Eventually, Aigas, twirling his pistol in his hand, with the utmost simplicity, showing off his skill with it, put his weapon back in it's pouch by his side. He adjusted his glasses.

"…He's obviously not going to answer us." The arrogant man said. Shadow was appalled by this action… putting his weapon away clearly stated that he did not view him as a threat… he dishonored him, and on _purpose_.

"… I don't like his attitude." Airy stated, scowling at him.

"Hmph. He looks a lot like… that other hedgehog… don't you think…?" Aile announced, looking amused. Airy and Aigas looked at each other, then back at him…

"You're right… The resemblance is almost uncanny." Aigas spoke, through an intrigued stare.

Shadow was beginning to conclude that these three knew Sonic, in some twisted, possibly grudge-based way… He respected his blue counterpart in every way… but he retained that old hatred of being mistaken for him… time and time again… He steeled himself, and remained calm, despite the constant disparaging.

"Hmph! You think they know each other?" Airy said, smirking.

"…Who cares… he looks like he wants to fight… why don't you…" Aigas trailed, "…Have a little fun with him…?" He finished, folding his arms, and looking at his sisters, expectantly. Both of them looked at him, as if in disbelief.

"You mean…?" Aile trailed.

"Can we? Really, Aigas!" Airy asked.

"…Hmmph. Ladies first…" Aigas said, making an indifferent gesture.

With that, Airy, with astounding, inhuman speed, sprinted, easily closing the distance between she and her enemy.

"You're mine, hedgy!" She shouted in glee, as she stabbed at him, smoothly, and swiftly.

Shadow was surprised, but not so much as to be incapable of dodging her attack, which he did, narrowly. She was fast. She knew what she was doing, too. She sliced at him, viciously, tittering like a lunatic as she did so, each pass at him swift, and flawless.

He kept dodging, ducking, side-stepping, flipping out of the way, until he discovered….

She had no limit to her stamina! She just kept attacking, without getting tired, as if she had some endless pool of energy inside of her…

This was, without a doubt, the power of the Chaos.

Shadow swiftly avoided each cut, some of which would have been fatal. She was getting impatient, though, and finally made a mistake in swinging harder than she normally did, throwing herself off balance, for a split-second…

However, that was all he needed, as his body became distorted, and the blackness of the true shadow covered him once again. He used this magnificent power to, not move around her, but straight THROUGH her body, like some kind of ghost, or phantom… She froze, and looked horrified, as her target passed through her body, and chilled her very blood.

Upon being behind her, Shadow's body faded back to normal, and he landed a perfect, leaping roundhouse kick, directly to her head.

She was knocked in that direction, her face a grimace of pain, and bounced on the ground once, but then flipped backward, landing perfectly on her feet.

Shadow landed, and stood there, unscathed, silent as always. He called that move… his Eclipse Dash. He only had to use it on a seriously tough opponent… not to mention he didn't like to, as it required actual energy.

Generally, Shadow was like them… he had limitless vigor… but it was that power that drained him.

One small bead of sweat dripped from his head, onto the ground.

"…What WAS that!" Airy demanded to know, wiping a tiny speck of blood from her lip.

Aile dashed to her side, weapon ready, and stared the Vampire down…

"I don't know… I've never seen anything like that… Looks like this is going to be a little more fun than we bargained for, eh…?" The pink-wearing vixen said, through a smirk. (not a female fox! Just a figure of speech) Airy grinned as well, and took a fighting stance.

"…Yeah! Let's rip im' apart, sister!" The azure-haired girl suggested.

With that, they both dashed, not straight at him, but to the sides. They came quickly, zig-zagging between each other, in a very confusing manner.

Shadow carefully analyzed the motions, but just when he thought they would both strike him dead-center, they broke apart, and assaulted him from both sides!

The raven hedgehog, in a desperation attempt to dodge both of them, grabbed the whip, which wrapped around his arm, the blades digging into his skin, making him grimace in pain. He, however, had more control of it than appeared, and, knowing he could overpower the dainty Aile, yanked on the weapon, and spun around, ripping her feet from the ground, as she would not let go. He then swung her, using all his the strength at his disposal, into her charging sister, in a painful-looking collision between the two. They were both knocked to the ground, with a loud 'oof!' As the hedgehog untangled the cat-of-nine-tails from his arm, and leaped backwards.

The two formidable girls hopped up, and took fighting positions, looking highly miffed.

However, all was not well, it seemed… as Shadow was bleeding from the arm he'd used in the assault… it dangled limply at his side, blood dripping onto the ground.

"Hehehe… Looks like you got him a little, Aile… Huh!" Airy started, in amazement… looking at the liquid dripping from Shadow's arm…

Indeed, his blood was solid black.

Shadow grinned a little, confusing the two girls he was fighting… the next thing that happened astounded them…

His 9 cuts… slowly began to close up… healing in fast forward. He raised his arm to show them, as if in a way to mock the two. Within a single moment, they were completely gone, and his arm was in mint condition once again.

"What in the world!" Airy growled, the very strange occurrence attacking her sanity a bit.

Suddenly, Aigas could be seen walking toward them. He looked highly amused, as he adjusted his specs, as he walked closer to Shadow, whom looked, but didn't flinch. His weapon was not drawn, so he was not as much of a threat.

"Aigas, what are you doing? Keep your distance! He's dangerous!" Aile shouted to her brother. He paid her no mind, though.

"I see, now… this one… Yes, this explains a lot…" Aigas spoke, examining the hedgehog.

"What are you talking about!" Airy growled, upset from being hit twice by a single hedgehog. She, being an excellent, speedy fighter, was rarely hit.

"… This one… he's a Vampire. Surely you've heard of _them_…?" Aigas told his sisters. Airy looked in disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding? They don't exist! It's just a fairy tale!" She scoffed. The pursuer of knowledge looked on at his more foolish sister, and shook his head, seeming to pity her.

"I've read books… 2000 years ago… before we were sealed into the Chaos Emeralds by the master… I read many books about creatures like this… half shadow, half mortal… jet-black blood runs through their veins… and they heal at an abnormal rate… Never dying of age, never need of food, nor water… They've even been known to be capable of entering the Shadow Realm… Amazing!" He said, looking upon the Vampire with vast interest. Shadow became uncomfortable. This man knew much about his abilities… What if he also knew of his weaknesses…?

"…Oh, vampire, not a vampire! I don't care, I'm going to shred him!" Aile shouted, angrily. Aigas chuckled, as if she were making a fool out of herself.

"Hahaha… you'd better aim to kill, Aile! Unless you kill him instantly, he will only heal each of your wounds… I don't… think you can do it!" Aigas said, amused highly by this new type of life, as he studied it from afar. Aile was obviously insulted and enraged by that remark, and she charged Shadow, Airy following.

"YOU JUST WATCH ME!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, dashing at top speed, swinging her weapon viciously. Shadow grinned, like a madman, in the heat of battle… baring some very sharp fangs, as he Eclipsed, and spread out, making it appear as if there were 10 different solid black copies of Shadow.

This was his Eclipse Doppleganger. His silouettes got in a circular formation, and began rotating about the two girls, whom looked every which way, wondering which was real… he could see the look in their eyes… his motions were slowly chipping away at their very sanity.

His dopplegangers, after scaring the living daylights out of both of them, particularly Airy, whom was secretly horrified of ghosts, the shadows moved in a peculiar manner, before quickly becoming one, meeting directly between Airy and Aile, whom were back to back.

Airy shrieked, and took one of her daggers, and thrust it as hard as she could at the horrible shadow!

"AIRY! NO!" Aigas shouted from a distance… but it was too late…

A dull, meaty 'shulk' could be heard… her blade had hit flesh.

The shadowy phantom dispersed… but there was no hedgehog in it. Airy looked down, in sheer horror, as she found what her blade had struck…

"Ai-…(hack) Airy… sister…" Aile said, blood sputtering from her mouth, as she dropped her weapon to the ground, before falling lifeless to the ground, the dagger still lodged in her chest…

Airy took one step back, looking down at what she'd done… Etched on her face was pure terror.

"…AIRY, LOOK OUT!" Her brother shouted again, but once more, it was far too late.

The ebony hedgehog darted from the shadows in which he was hiding the whole time, wrapping his arms firmly around the azure-haired girl's head.

With one swift, merciless motion, Shadow ended her, snapping her neck, with almost no effort at all.

The sound of the vital bone snapping in two echoed across the streets… and the girl plummeted to the concrete, meeting her demise, laying right next to her sister.

Shadow landed, and slowly, ominously got up from his crouched position.

Shadow and Sonic remained ever-alike… except for one, key factor that separated them greatly…

…One was merciless.

Shadow, being a Vampire, had a natural urge… a dark urge… to end lives. He could never explain it, but battle, that one last, crushing blow intrigued, and horrified him at the same time. It was almost as if he couldn't help himself…

Shadow, learning this darker side to being a vampire, went into hiding. He never wanted to be in contact with humans… for he always felt his sanity slipping… closer and closer to that of a mere murderer. He hated himself for it… he knew no one would ever forgive him… not even his friends.

So he decided to never ask them for it. Up until now, he'd avoided them all… and he did that on purpose. He feared what he might do to them. Feared that the evil blood in his veins might boil when he got near them. He found it to his liking to kill… the more unwanted people of society. Criminals, if you will. The feeling of inflicting pain on one… physical AND emotional… it enthralled him. And yet, at the same time… terrified him. What was he becoming…? Was he always fated to play the villain? The murderer? The killer?

The… monster?

In a flash, Shadow can be seen, a gun not 2 inches away from the side his head. Aigas was quick, too. Shadow would enjoy this... he thought, not looking, but smirking.

"…You… killed them… My siblings! …DIE!" Aigas pulling his trigger!

Bang…

The dust cleared… and the shot was a direct, instant-death hit…

Aigas' glasses fell to the ground, shattered to pieces... his eyes shrunk, and he, too, fell, slumped, and lifeless.

Smoke rose from the barrel of _Shadow's_ gun, the Crematorium. It was a strange, but deadly combination of a sawed-off shot gun, and a revolver. It was inaccurate, but packed an amazing punch… it was a deadly weapon… crafted in the shadow world.

Shadow blew into the barrel of his weapon, looking satisfied, before it, and his arms disappeared into his crimson cloak.

He bowed to his formidable opponents… the strongest he'd ever faced… and turned around, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared into the shadows once more…

End Chapter 

Yeah, yeah, I know… I really out-did myself with that one, eh? I really hope you liked it… Please leave a review!

I know it seems like there's no real reason, seeing as you get more story anyway, since it's already done, but still, I'd love you forever if you did.

Just like I HATE forever for what it DID.

YiffyOne


	12. Chapter 12

Ahh… boy, I sure do hate Yup, those fucking bastards… For deleting this AWESOME story off their site… I'll slit their throats and masterbate into the wound!

_(just kidding, dammit… don't delete my story you fucking bastards… erh… just kidding again…)_

Ah yes… the death of that site would trigger 4 consecutive orgasms followed by a joy-induced seizure… that's for fucking sure!

Now, read t3h story… and enjoy the FUCK out of it!

_**Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 12 "Shades of Red"**_

The wind blew from across the night sea… where good and evil once again clashed. The echidna's dread locks were blown every which way in a heroic manner… On his face was plastered a look of expectancy, hope, and maybe just a little worry.

"rrhgh… dammit." He muttered, watching the small yellow light in the distance take a hit, again, "You'd better not lose, Sonic! YOU HEAR ME!" The guardian shouted at the sea, at the top of his lungs.

However, as far away as they were, it was unlikely that this could've been heard, even coming from the booming voice of Knuckles. He tried to look away. Suddenly he… thought he saw something.

A black, shady object, atop the pin of a skyscraper to his immediate right. He squinted at it, but it was already gone. He shook his head.

"All this worrying has got me hallucinating… Could've sworn for a second that was…nah." The echidna chuckled. His face hardened, soon, however. This was not a time to be laughing about anything.

----------+

Alfador smacked his fists together over and over, as he excitedly walked down the street, in the direction he knew he'd find the guardian.

The essence, sealed within the red emerald 2000 years ago walked the earth yet again… and he was going to make the best of it. He began to jog… then to run… then, showing off his amazing leg strength, he leapt onto a building, scaling nearly half of it with only that.

He climbed, using his powerful arms and legs. He could feel it… a powerful fighting aura was near… and he was getting ever closer… ever closer!

-----------+

Knuckles was pacing now, nervously. Generally, in the heat of a battle, the echidna was in a calm, meditative state… but something was wrong. He had… for a reason he couldn't quite explain, he had a bad feeling. Real bad feeling.

The worst part about all of this was, this was all his fault! He should be the one fighting that golem, not Sonic!

He began to remember all the good times they'd had…

(flashback!)

"Heya, knucklehead! Whatcha doin'!" The speedy blue wonder asked an annoyed Knuckles.

"I'm protecting the Master Emerald…" He muttered, irritably. Sonic looked up to the sky, and a moment passed.

He then put his hands behind his spiky head in a laid-back way. He fell backwards until his body hit the soft grass of the beautiful Angel Island.

"But that's booooooooriiiiiiiiiing!" Sonic whined.

"Well, it's my job!" The echidna said, smacking himself on the forehead.

"…Well, your job…" Sonic started. He then yawned for what seemed like a minute, "…It stinks."

Knuckles scoffed, moving down, next to his 'friend'. He plopped down on the grass, beside the hedgehog, looking into the sky.

"…Somebody's gotta do it." He said, trying to make a valid point, though beginning to question it himself.

"So why you?" The hedgehog asked, simply. The echidna considered the question for a moment.

"Well…I'm the last of my people… I owe it to them to carry on what they started." the red one said, speaking his general view on 'why' he did what he did.

"Hmm… that's lame." Sonic said, rather bluntly. Knuckles fumed, really meaning that from the bottom of his fiery heart.

"Hey!" He said, jumping up and stomping his foot, cartoonishly. The blue typhoon just laughed.

"Hahahaha! Chill! I's only jokin'…" Sonic said, through his chuckling. Knux calmed down a bit, and sat back down. The two remained so horribly different, it was humorous.

"…You're strange." Knuckles said to the hedgehog. Sonic only laughed a little more.

"Hehe. Thanks." the blue one responded, winking.

"Weirdo..." The echidna said, though he was noticeably grinning as he got back to his feet, and began to walk off. Sonic only seemed to laugh a little more. He laughed too much those days.

"Uh… hey, Knuckles!" Sonic called suddenly. The guardian turned around.

"Can you uh… help me up…?" Sonic asked, holding his hand out, smiling. The echidna chuckled and turned around, and began walking away again.

"Get yer own self up!" He said, coolly.

"No! NO! Hey Knux! Come back! No, I'm serious, I'm really stuck over here! Knuuuuuuuuuckleeeees!" Sonic shouted, referring to his spikes, which were firmly wedged into the ground.

(End flashback!)

Knuckles couldn't help but smile at the memory… but he shook it off. That wasn't a good thing, he thought… he only had recurrences of a friend like that when…

He looked out to sea, squinting, as he almost felt that last blow himself.

…When they were in trouble, he thought.

Suddenly, something in him… an instinct, a gear in his head, a sixth sense, it just clicked, and the guardian felt his adrenaline rush… like a mighty waterfall, it hit him, the feel…

… of another presence!

----

The shirtless, musclebound Alfador swung, with a sadistic smirk, trying to get a cheap shot in. To his amazement, though, his powerful fist was dodged, as the guardian flipped backward, landing in a fighting position, a good many feet away from him.

The Chaos Troupe's fist fighter pulled his arm from the building, where it had crumbled the stone beneath it. He grinned, as he popped his knuckles, loudly, analyzing the echidna up and down.

"…Hahaha… You're quicker than I expected… maybe I was wrong about you?" Alfador said, cracking his neck, and doing other various combat warm-ups.

"Who are you?" Knuckles shouted, analyzing his opponent, as well.

This offender, he _looked_ human… but that punch! The echidna looked down at the indention the mighty blow made on the building's top, where they were perched. A really nasty dent… this human… no, there was no way he was human. His fists could crush stone… an attack like that would break any normal person's hand.

"…Who am I? Heh!" The arrogant punk said. He looked like a younger human, but he was very tall, and quite buff. Knuckles saw danger in those blood red eyes.

The mystery fighter threw his arms out, and looked to the sky, as if he were king of the world itself.

"I… am Alfador, the powerful, you fool!" He shouted out, for the entire universe to hear. The echidna decided he really didn't like this wannabe's attitude.

Without hesitation, the mighty Knuckles charged his opponent, his fist cocked back, and ready to strike…

However, this 'Alfador' was no novice when it came to defending himself, as he soon proved, his knee lifting into the air, connecting with the guardian's chin. Time freezes for a moment, as the red-haired bully grins, and grabs Knuckles by the neck, holding him in the air.

Knuckles was in a tiny predicament here… this guy had better range than he did… and he knew how to use it… that last blow wasn't _that _painful, but it succeeded in stopping his attack. Now the veteran fighter held him by the throat, his malice filled grin never fading.

This man was either a sadist, or he really, REALLY enjoyed battle. Knuckles didn't like it either way, and, in a desperation move to gain freedom from his grip, he slammed both of his fists into each side of the forearm that held him, smashing it.

"ARGHH!" Alfador shouted, letting go of the guardian and wincing in pain as other hand shot onto his arm, rubbing it.

Knuckles, knowing he didn't shatter any bones, as he'd intended, took advantage of the opportunity by launching a wicked assault, a punch to the gut followed up with a jaw-shattering uppercut, which sent his opponent skyward.

The echidna turned around, and dusted himself off… No one had ever managed to get up from his double-header. He grinned, feeling victorious. He opened his mouth and felt the inside. He cursed.

"Bastard! Chipped one of my teeth!" He scoffed.

Suddenly, the red warrior was hit by a massive wave of heat, taken completely off guard. He staggered backwards, managing to turn around to see that the onslaught wasn't over.

"I'll break a LOT more than just that, you weakling!" The fiery aggressor shouted, as he battered Knuckles 2 more times with his fists, which were blazing.

This was impossible, the echidna thought… how could he get up from two punches like that…? Not only that, but he didn't seem even phased… just angered, fueling his powerful blows, which were each engulfed in an inferno that scorched his skin. It was all he could do to keep from falling down, and blocking maybe a tiny bit of the damage… this fighter…

He was even stronger than Rouge!

"Burn Burn BUUUUUUURN!" Alfador shouted, in an enraged battlecry as his last attack did serious damage to the echidna's eye…

"Agh!" Knuckles shouted, falling backwards. His gloved palm shot up to his eye, which was sealed shut… cauterized by the flame… It was on fire… and he couldn't open it… see out of it at all...

The red-eyed man folded his arms and laughed out loud, waiting for the treasure hunter to get up, so he could knock him around some more.

"Play with fire… and you get burned, you idiot!" He cackled. He seemed to be enjoying himself…

Knuckles jumped to his feet. Besides his eye… he wasn't injured that bad. He still had more than enough fight to give, and by the looks of things, it looked like he didn't have the luxury of holding any of it back. He wiped his lip, and put up his dukes.

"Bring it on, torch-head." The sly echidna taunted, referring to the server's hair style. Alfador's features hardened into sheer insult, and his temper, again, took control, as his fist blazed toward him.

However, Knux was ready this time. This guy was powerful, but he was also a bit slow, as Knuckles made obvious by dodging, making his way behind the towering fighter. He quickly grabbed his leg and yanked it from the ground, swinging the giant around easily, intent on throwing him. He spun and spun, in a fine display of power, as his enraged opponent flailed about, shouting obscenities.

Knuckles carried this one for too long, however, and Alfador wised up, cocking his leg back, and kicking the echidna square in the head.

The effect of this action: both were sent flying in opposite directions, off of the building, and plummeting to the ground below. Knuckles quickly shook his head, and regained his senses, and dug his pointy knuckles into the side of a building, making a screeching noise all the way down to the highway below. He landed, and immediately began looking for his enemy, not about to get caught off guard a third time.

Alfador wasted no time and used no strategy, charging loudly from where he landed toward the echidna, his body enveloped with fire. At the speed he was rushing toward him, which looked like the hot-head's capacity, he could easily be dodged, with the right timing, but… Knuckles had to use his head.

He noticed a key difference between this fighter and himself. Alfador attacked solely with rage, and tactlessly swung his powerful arms, like some sort of berserker… Knux had a short fuse as well, but… never in battle. In combat, he was taught to be tranquil, and to use not just his fists, but his head in order to fight. He could tell already… and though he hated to admit it, this man was a better fighter than he was…

He was stronger, more merciless, and obviously had more experience… but the echidna, deep inside he knew he could win… he felt the blood, in his veins, the blood of his ancestors, he felt it boil… and he closed his remaining eye…

Alfador kept coming.

He opened his mind, and released all his thoughts, trapped within it… he placed his palms together, as if praying or some such thing… he felt his blood boil. Then it simmered… and finally, it became as calm as the see, flowing but silently, enough for you to see your reflection.

Alfador was almost upon him now…

His eye shot open. He remembered how he was taught to connect each battle to something symbolic… and as he looked in the fiery, hate-filled eyes of his nemesis, he found what he was looking for.

Alfador was a flame… a volcano, a burning ember, the sheer incarnation of rage… Fire… it can be doused with water. Knuckles calmed the sea storming in his heart. He'd counter the fiery assault… with a tranquil wave of defense.

The fire-engulfed server was a mere few steps away now, ready to pound him with his attack. The guardian readied himself. His motions had to be fluid, and perfect, like water. As the hot-headed aggressor raised his flaming fist to deliver a final blow to the tranquil, pre-meditated defender, time seemed to freeze for that one moment, capturing the true natures of anger and peace. Time did not freeze in reality, however, and it eventually resumed, as all discontinued things must, at a certain point.

"DIIIIIIEEEEE!" Alfador roared, lowering his fist, top speed, top power.

A loud sound, like a SMAT can be heard, as the echidna, despite having only half his sight, perfectly knocked the attack to the side… and, in one fluid motion, brought his counter attack to the enemy's chest.

Alfador's face twisted in sheer pain, then it went blank, staring off into the distance, as blood seeped from his lip. The echidna's palm, not even clenched, still rest on the area near his heart. As the server fell to the ground, motionless, it became more and more obvious that the sheer impact of the attack had targeted his heart, killing him from the inside.

Knuckles looked down at the body, and relaxed his tensed, burned muscles.

"…There's no way you can strengthen life-supporting organs… so if you get hit by that attack… you're going to succumb." He stated, bending over, and feeling the neck for a pulse… He shook his head. Such a waste of good fighting ability.

"I guess you can't hear me, then…" He lamented. The echidna turned around, and tried to open his eye again… it wouldn't… his gut twisted when he came to a sudden realization…

He'd never be able to see out of that eye again.

End Chapter 

I know, I know… you're likely pissed because I keep handicapping everyone, right? Well, if you leave a review for this one, then let me personally say, I'm sorry.

If you're NOT leaving a review just for spite, then you might as well just mozy on over to and have gay ass-raping sex with it!

Fucker! Review now!

I'll give you a HURTZ donut….!

YiffyOne


	13. Chapter 13

Please, I really need some more reviews here… you people… God. If you're one of the few who HAVE reviewed, then I praise you, and I literally just got on my knees and bowed to you. You get a bow for every review!

In other news: is still directly related to Satan. If you love God, then you'll pray every night that lightning strikes tiny little penis.

You love GOD, Don't you!

Haha, enough nonsense, I'm just being stupid, please, for the love of all things good, don't delete my story. Just read it!

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 13: "Heavy Metal!" 

She couldn't sleep. Turning around, she saw that it was now 2 AM… What was it that was keeping her awake tonight? It wasn't her thoughts of Tails… no, those usually put the bunny right to sleep… but she just had this… gut feeling, call it intuition, that told her something horrible was going to happen.

She got up out of her bed, and turned the light on, shaking her head. She needed something to get her mind off things. She sniffled as she .

She shuffled about her home, doing various things, whether it be cleaning, watching the late night television shows she normally couldn't catch, or looking at some old photo albums, she was obviously wide awake. Occasionally she'd sneeze, and need a tissue.

She admired a picture of her, Tails, Chris, and Chuck, god rest his soul… when they were all very young, bar Chuck, of coarse.

(yes, in this, Chuck has passed away… forgive me if this somehow irritates you, but Chuck was very old, and 4 years have passed, and this is just to show: people die. My fic must be at least slightly realistic, sorry.)

She smiled. She loved that picture… she sometimes wondered what Chuck would think of everyone as they are now… what he'd think of how Tails had gotten even smarter, Sonic had gotten even faster, and how Chris had gotten even braver. She giggled.

He'd probably have a heart attack if he saw what Chris did to his hair… but he'd be so very proud of how he'd saved her life and stuff, she thought.

A tiny little tear of bittersweet remembrance went down her cheek and she wiped it away with a petite finger. She put the album away, and began to wander around her tiny home aimlessly. She recalled how she'd gotten the home…

It was provided to her by the president, at the request of Sonic, whom did it at request of (rather threat of) Amy. The president would always be only too happy to do anything in his power to help the world's biggest hero. Being friends with Sonic always had serious advantages…

And now Tails and Chris seemed to be growing into big heroes as well. Unfortunately, people still recognized Tails only as 'Sonic's buddy'… despite the fact that HE'D saved the Earth from sure destruction more than once, even without the hedgehog's help. Chris… well, he wasn't regarded as any sort of hero… just as a famous rock star. He was also quite popular in the world of Motocross… but that was another story. Being friends with Chris seemed to make human girls look at her with envy for some strange reason that eluded her.

Suddenly, something weird happened…

…There was a knock at the door.

"Huh…? At this hour?" She mumbled to herself as she scuttled to the door. Who could it be?

-----13----+----

The rock star shivered a little. It was freezing outside! He looked at his watch, and it read an hour ahead of what he thought it was. He held a small box in his hand, which was wrapped in a sparkling paper, and tied up in a pretty little ribbon… obviously a gift. He mentally cursed himself for visiting her at this hour… but for some reason, he simply couldn't resist. He felt sorry for making her sick… Though it really wasn't his fault in the first place…

He smiled an awkward smile when she opened the door, not smiling, only looking curious.

"Uhh… Hi!" Mr. Thorndyke said, coolly. That being a huge overstatement, of coarse. Cream looked at him, and giggled a little at the goofy looking face he was making.

"Chris… what are you doing here? It's very very late, you know…"She said. He scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a way to explain his sporadic action. While he was still thinking of an answer, she coughed a little, in a cute way, but not suggesting that Chris didn't instantly feel bad for creating that situation, because he did.

"That's why… It's my fault you got sick, and I felt bad, so… well…" He trailed. Cream finally looked down, and saw the sparkly green box.

Her features lightened up. Was that for her…? He'd gotten her a present! She still had a child-like love of receiving gifts, and getting surprises… she instantly couldn't wait to see what it was.

"Hmm… Oh! Goodness, I'm sorry… Come in, it's very chilly out there… you don't want to end up like me!" She said, moving out of the way, leaving room for the boy to rush in, instantly trying to pat himself warm. He'd been concealing how numbly cold he was for those few moments. She giggled.

"Brrr! Thanks! It's so cold out there! I can barely feel my body!" He said, cartoonishly chattering as he said these things… She shut the door and tittered again. He smiled.

His pale face filled with warm blood once more, though it was a bit too much, making him blush. This being because he noticed the girl in her jammies, which were light blue, covered with pictures of little white bunnies all over them. They suited her perfectly, as far as the patterns went… when you got down to how they actually FIT her you'd notice quite easily that they were a bit… snug in places.

Chris averted his eyes, realizing that if he kept looking, his face wouldn't be the _only_ place all his blood would be rushing. He turned and reddened.

Cream, however, was only SO naïve. She saw what he was looking at, and she looked down at her attire. She peeped a little, gave an embarrassed grin. Not HORRIBLY embarrassed, but caught at a slightly off guard. She clasped her hands in front of where her legs met, and twisted her body a little in a fidgety sort of way.

"Oh, I'm sorry… just… let me go change into something more appropriate!" She said, scampering up her stairs, her tiny little fluff-ball of a tail waving about as she moved. She disappeared into her upstairs room.

"Uh… Ok!" He shouted after her. He stood there for a moment, looking around at the inside of her house…

He liked her house. It smelled like she did… and it was nice and humble… homey, in a way that his massive mansion just never would be. He smiled as he looked at various pictures mounted on her wall. Most of them had Tails in it, he noticed, frowning just a little. Some featured him, but they were all group photos, taken of the whole gang… He wished she'd had pictures of just the two of them on the wall. But, sadly, he found himself being replaced by Tails.

"…(sigh)… Man, Tails… what I wouldn't give just to live one day in those shoes of yours…" He spoke to one of the pictures… he was jealous, but not spiteful.

"Hmm? What was that, Chris?" Cream said, poking her head from around a corner, startling him a little. That was mighty fast, he thought.

"Eh, nothing, just… talking to myself." Was his excuse, as he sweatdropped. She tilted her head a little, but made nothing else of it.

She walked into view, and she was wearing a casual little sweater, which was red.. It had a low neck on it, and it showed off a lovely crest of soft fur jutting from the nape of the bunny's neck. It was much like the patch Shadow, or Tails had… only it was probably twice as fluffy as either of them. It had grown in with various other parts of her body over the years. It had a nice sheen to it, and you could tell that, like the rest of her body, the girl took exceedingly good care of it. It was enough to make one want to run their hand over it.

Over her waist was a sash-like, white belt, which was tied at her left hip. It sparkled when the light hit it. Her legs were adorned with a pair of jeans, which was odd, since she didn't normally wear something so informal. She had on the same shoes she'd always wore.

Chris felt his face getting warm again. She was just SO pretty… even when she dressed as casual as this. She smiled at him and told him to sit down at her dining table, which was directly behind him. He complied, and she sat on the opposite side. It was a round, very small little table, as the girl remained ever short, so they were only so far apart. Cream sniffled a little, covered her mouth and turned her head to sneeze.

"Gazhoontight." Her 16 year old admirer said. He would have searched his pockets for a handkerchief, but he saw she already had one.

She daintily wiped her adorable little nose.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you… The lights were on, so… you know." He explained to her.

"I know… I couldn't sleep tonight." She said through a stuffy nose. He thought the accent it gave her was horribly fetching.

"Oh man… it's not because I made you sick, is it…?" He asked, looking ashamed.

"No, no! It's not like that at all… and how many times do I have to tell you, it's not your fault I tripped!" She said, shaking her head, trying to get that through his thick skull.

"Well… I should've caught you… and I'm really sorry I didn't… so…" He pushed the little gift toward her. She looked down at it, and smiled genuinely.

"Chris… you didn't have to do anything! How considerate… you're so sweet." She said, pulling it toward herself and examining the box. Chris basked in that last comment, relishing it, as he smiled.

"Heh… I was gonna give this to you on your birthday… but… well, I just couldn't wait any longer…!" He told her. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, laughing.

"Chris… hehehe. My birthday… isn't for another six months…" She giggled, making him sweatdrop.

"…Yeah, I know… but I decided to give it to you now… I'll get you something else for your birthday! Just open it up! I can't take the suspense any more!" He urged, making a motion for her to open it.

She smiled, and, strangely, rather than ripping the paper apart, like any normal person would, removed the bow and the wrapper with the utmost ease, and without even shredding any of the shiny green wrapping. She actually looked like she knew what she was doing… Chris concluded that she must get a whole lot of gifts… this wouldn't surprise him a bit, though.

She set the paper and the ribbon aside, and she examined the plain, white box, and shook it. Something on the inside jingled madly. She giggled and shook it again, amused by the noise.

"Heeeeeey, quit that and just open it! You'll spoil the surprise!" Chris chuckled.

She complied, removing the plastic covering of the box, then the cardboard lid. There was a thin sheet of paper encompassing the object inside, showing that it must be something nice… She unfolded it, and pulled the item out… and she grinned hugely, letting out a little 'ohhh' when she looked at it.

It was a shiny golden bell, attached to a fine red collar. It was lovely, and she admired it, holding it like it was priceless, as she jingled it one more time. She looked at Chris, and he grinned, waving his hand like it was nothing.

She immediately put the collar around her neck, and went to find a mirror in which she could admire the new accessory. She jingled as she ran, making an utterly pleasant noise that seemed to bring joy and fortune to all ears it met. She looked in the full body mirror in her room… and clasped her hands together in delight. Her eyes shimmered as she saw how well it went with her outfit and coloring…

"Chaoooooooo?" Cheese muttered, looking around drowsily from her bed. The jangling of the bell had roused him from his dream. Cream practically hopped over and scooped the little creature up, hugging him in a great joy. The chao was a bit grumpy, but smiled none the less, as the rabbit set him down.

When she and her pet came down the stairs, the young star was waiting for them, wearing a huge smile. Cream hopped into his arms to thank him, quite nearly knocking him down. He chuckled and patted her back softly with one hand.

"Hehe… I take it by that that you like it, huh?" He asked.

"I love it!" She cheers back. That made Chris feel good on the inside… not warm and fuzzy like the way he normally felt around her anyway, but the kind of feeling you get when you give someone a gift that they really, genuinely enjoy. She released him, and coughed a little bit.

"Easy now… don't wanna over-exert yourself." He said, trying to be soothing. She nodded.

BAM!

Something struck the door with a mighty force…

------13---)

The silver haired knight, in shining platinum armor knew that Christopher Thorndyke was in that house… He HAD to be a famous person around here… gathering information concerning him proved to be exceedingly easy. He'd learned that the young boy rode around on a thing called "GlimmerBolt II" by reading a poster in the city… and he'd noticed said object (which was very strange to him) being parked outside this particular home.

Alastor swatted the door with the blunt end of his halberd again, making chips of paint fly off of it, as the noise echoed throughout the surroundings. Sensing a presence, the essence of the silver emerald stepped backward. Taking a defensive stance.

-------13!--------+

Chris' expression molded from a joyous to a serious one in a split second, as he motioned for Cream to back away from the door. She nodded, seeming scared, and grabbed her chao, trying to keep him quiet. The rocker opened the door, and stepped outside, looking apprehensive…

His heart nearly jumped out of his throat when he saw the dangerous looking man, waiting patiently outside for him. He stepped toward him, but stopped once he noticed he had a deadly-looking medieval weapon, which looked like some kind of skewer with an axe on the side. He'd seen pictures of things like that only in historical works and movies.

"Who are you!" He asked, voice showing a small amount of fear, as it wavered a bit. He could fight… but he was no Sonic… and this guy looked skilled.

"…I am Alastor… If you are Christopher Thorndyke, friend of Sonic the Hedgehog, then I'm here to kill you." The assassin claimed.

"… What! Kill me…! Why! Who sent you!" The young one demanded to know. His expression didn't change; his mirror-like eyes only flashed upon his target.

"The answer to that question is not necessary to defend yourself, human. Now, do-so!" He shouted, his generally calm voice booming as he aggressed, dashing toward him with his weapon raised.

Chris' eyes dilated as the oncoming attack, a thrust, was narrowly dodged. The attack was SO close, it slit his scarf, where his throat was a mere nanosecond earlier. The dodge had been sloppy, too, making the boy stumble and fall backwards. He heard Cream shriek.

His adrenaline rushing, the legendary guitarist looked at the GlimmerBolt, which, as luck would have it, he'd landed right next to. He kicked up to his feet and began unfastening the straps that held his mighty guitar in place on the side… thank goodness he'd brought it with him!

Alastor wasn't as quick as Chris, but he was exceedingly fast for someone wearing such a huge amount of plate armor… He turned around and went on the attack again, this time swinging vertically, planning on splitting his skull with the axe part of his weapon. He just had one more fasten to detach when…

…during this time, four noises could be heard…

A scream, coming from a certain terrified rabbit, and the jingle jangle of her present.

A KLANG of a heavy metal contact…

…and a BLARE of a heavy metal instrument.

Chris looked up, fire in his deep blue eyes, as he jumped away from his attacker, a bit more confident now that his trusty instrument rested in his hand. Alastor looked at the weapon, seeming puzzled at it's shape and the sound with which it erupted, despite the factuality that his face relayed no emotion.

He whirled his halberd about quickly, locking it under his arm, taking a stance, as his white, flowing cape blew in the cold wind. He wanted Chris to attack first.

Not wanting to keep him waiting, the young one ran at him, jumping up, axe raised to strike. However, Alastor was no fool, and he took his weapon an swung it in the air, succeeding in knocking the boy, and his assault, back down onto the pavement. Chris landed on his feet, then stumbled a bit, feeling his face. Just as he thought, blood.

It was a nasty cut to his cheek, probably implemented by the axe part of the halberd. He grimaced. It was no fatal wound, but it would leave a nasty scar.

The fact that this was a truly skilled warrior, however, did not evade him at all. He OBVIOUSLY knew what he was doing… all of his motions were quick, fatal, and flawless. The formerly dodged or blocked attacks were all strokes of sheer and unbridled luck… but how could he win on luck alone?

Cream, amidst all of this, stood watching as Chris and this strange warrior traded attacks… well, actually, the one with silvery hair was doing most of the attacking, as the young boy narrowly dodged and blocked each attack, getting driven backwards with each pass. She looked on, fearing for her dear friend's life… gripping Cheese in a death clamp of a cuddle, making it squirm. She only did this when she was scared, and didn't know what to do. It became exceedingly obvious that this assassin wasn't joking when he said he'd come to kill Chris.

This was bad, the young rocker thought to himself… at this rate, the warrior would outlast him… he had to think of something, and quick! He suddenly had his instrument knocked aside (not out of his hands, but it left him open), and he was hit by a powerful kick, one so forceful, he flew backwards about 7 feet.

Cream eeped and winced when she saw the collision take place. That had to hurt, she thought… she had to do something! But what could she do…?

Chris barely managed to pick himself up from that last hit. He was already on his last leg after that… He swore one of his ribs were cracked from the attack as he found himself gasping for air. He got his wind back, but he fell to his knees after a moment. Boy, did that hurt… He cursed himself for not being as versatile as Sonic or as sturdy Knuckles… he'd seen them take hits like that and smile afterward… but not him… he was only human, after all… but wasn't this guy the same way? It didn't seem possible after he'd seen what this 'Alastor' was capable of.

He looked over at his dirt bike, and then over to Alastor, who was now walking ominously toward him. Without a second thought, he hopped onto his treasured GlimmerBolt II, and revved it up, the wheels squealing as he charged toward the Emerald assassin on it, the top wheel raised in the air in a perfect wheelie.

Not even knowing that the object was capable of such things, (being from a different era and all) Alastor was taken off guard by this action, and the front wheel popped him, right in the face, as Chris drove up and over him like a ramp, landing perfectly on the other side.

"Hah! That woulda scored me a 10 at the X games!" Chris shouted, proud of his… victory…?

To his amazement… Alastor rose! Ominously, did he stand, dusting himself off, as he looked at the young cyclist, poison in his eyes. A long moment of sheer awe passed, and the Chaos Troupe's second-in-command seemed to examine the vehicle for a moment.

"I see… That object is some sort of mechanical stallion… impressive. I haven't felt pain in 1000 years..." He announced… Chris didn't really get his meaning, but he wouldn't be surprised if he'd never been hit before, with his amount of skill, "However, I will not make the same careless mistake twice!" He shouted, raising his weapon in the air…

The next thing that happened both startled and astounded the teenage star, as lightning shot out of the sky, and on a fairly clear night, too! The bolt jolted down, striking the halberd, making the weapon glow a blinding white glow, so much so Chris and Cream nearly had to shield there eyes.

"…Two can play at that game!" The warrior shouted, plunging the tip of his weapon into the ground, making it glow as well.

The light spread on the concrete, wider, taller, until it formed a distinct shape beneath Alastor. The dust cleared, and the illumination faded, and the young teenager looked up to see…

…A huge, solid white horse, charging right at him! Barely having a split second to think, Chris burned rubber, just barely managing to move out of the way, feeling that spear-tip graze his sleeve. He rode down the street as fast as it would take him, then turned around. Alastor had done the same thing with his horse. They were sparsely in shouting distance, as they stared each other down… Chris readied his Axe… riding one-handed was no problem for him, and by the looks of things, he might need it.

"What do you want from me!" Chris shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls and down the street. Alastor could be seen grinning a little.

"Only your life!" He shouted back, smartly. The young rocker didn't like his attitude.

"That's it! Horse or no horse, I'm gonna mow you down!" The teenager yelled, like a battle cry, as he rocketed down the street, his heavy instrument scraping against the ground, making sparks fly out behind it. The knight upon his noble steed smiled at the opposition.

"Very well then, let us joust!" He said, more to himself than anybody, as he grabbed the reins of his stallion and cracked his greaves (like a metal boot) against the it's sides, making it enter a loud gallop down the street, as the powerful mammal neighed viciously, showing off his great speed. Alastor extended to meet the boy that was charging him.

(by the way, don't go correcting me here, I know jousts normally consist of lances, not halberds, and especially not electric guitars, but I simply couldn't resist the similarity of that to this scene. I'm quite prideful, so I'll let you know: don't go correcting me unless you want me to be seriously miffed.)

The two speed demons closed the distance rather quickly, until they were finally, for that split second, upon each other! Chris swung his weapon with as much force as his right arm could muster, and in suit, Alastor swung his weapon as well, as they traded their original places on the street… It went by so fast, it wasn't even evident who'd gotten the better of who, if either missed, or anything.

Chris suddenly gasped, as he watched the right handlebar of his bike… fall to the ground, sliced clean off! He looked at the unscratched Alastor across the street, and growled. This action only fueled his rage.

Cream ran to see if her friend was alright, but he took off down the road, charging Alastor, yet again, before she could make it close enough to ask. He roared down the street, perfectly balanced despite the missing handlebar, which was obviously meant only to taunt him, as his enemy matched his speed, charging him at an equal pace.

The two riders met again, but this time Chris didn't even so much as manage to swing, as his foe flipped his weapon, and used the blunt end of it to closeline him, clean off his bike! Chris gagged, and did a backflip before landing hard, his bike falling to it's side in the distance, unable to sustain itself without a rider.

Cream yelped, immediately rushing to his aid, passing Alastor along the way, whom let her, knowing that she wouldn't be much of a help to him anyway. She ran to the floored rock star, whom was still conscious, but just barely. He hacked heavily, showing the obvious damage that last attack had inflicted upon his throat. He was lucky that it didn't snap his neck! When he felt her hand upon his head, he opened his eyes.

"Chris! Oh my gosh, are you ok!" She asked, her nerves obviously wrecked.

"C-Crea…m. Get out o- ..f h-..he..re." He stammered, voice crackling with weakness. He managed to push himself into a sitting position.

"Leave, girl! This is not your fight." Alastor shouted from afar. Cream looked once, but ignored him.

"L-isten to… h-(hack)..im.. Go, you have to go!" The young rocker urged, managing to regain his voice, though it was still a bit sand papery. She shook her head, bell jingling as she did.

"I won't!" She refused, strongly.

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese said, firmly agreeing. Chris almost felt like smiling… but he decided against it.

Meanwhile, Alastor was beginning to notice that the bunny-like creature was… well, not human at all. This meant that she was from the same planet as Sonic, supposedly. He wondered…

Cream sniffled a little as she clinged to Chris, whom was now trying to get on his bike again.

"Cream, let go!" He yelled, squirming a bit.

"No! He'll kill you this time! I don't want you to die!" She shouted…

"…You! Girl!" Alastor yelled at her. She jumped, and her head snapped around to meet his deadly gaze…

"Do you know Sonic the Hedgehog…? Are you a friend of his…?" He asked, simply. Chris gasped a little bit, and positioned himself in front of her, angrily looking at the silver-eyed knight.

"Hey! Leave her out of this! You're not fighting her! She can't even defend herself!" The young rocker said, defensively. Alastor ignored the statement completely… It would be possible she DIDN'T know Sonic… but he concluded that she HAD to know him, and for that, must be executed.

"…She DOES know him, doesn't she…? She is his friend…? Then I'm afraid she must die as well!" He said, swinging his weapon in the air, intimidating her. She trembled as she held Chris's arm…

Chris's eyes narrowed… and something inside of him… deep inside of him EXPLODED. How could anyone want to kill such a delicate, timid, sweet, beautiful creature! How could anyone be so evil, so heartless, so sadistic! The boy's normally calm, deep blue eyes ignited, not reflecting a match, or a candle, nor an ember, but an INFERNO of rage.

He breathed in and out, heavily as he lightly pushed Cream off of him, not even bothering to grab his dirtbike, charging at the horsed Alastor, axe raised high, as his feet took him faster… faster… until he was running much faster than he'd ever done before! He rushed, as the frustration and emergency of the situation unleashed his true potential, his courageous spirit!

The knight looked down, surprised at how fast a mere human could run, as he was upon him quickly. However, Alastor saw opportunity in this, and held his halberd out, as to skewer the young boy!

BLLOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRrLLLLLL!

Came an eardrum-bursting blare from the boy's guitar, which had a built-in amplifier, turned all the way up. Cream shrieked as her sensitive ears were pierced by the mighty sound, and Alastor, startled, not even knowing that the technology of the day was capable of such things, was taken off guard, as his gauntlets released his weapon, and shot to cover his ears…

Chris, not wanting to waste his trump-card, took this chance to leap into the air, and, with a mighty yell, swat the knight firmly across the head with the point of his guitar, de-horsing him, making the heavy metal klank loudly upon the ground. Alastor lay motionless, as the wound upon his head bled openly.

Soon, life left his eyes entirely. Chris, completely out of energy, didn't even have the power to land on his feet, and he stumbled, falling to his stomach with a grunt. Consciousness slowly left him… and blackness consumed his vision…

--------+-------13131313131313-+-

…He felt soft hands brushing over his forehead, as he was startled awake, jolting up into a sitting position, practically scaring Cream half to death. Before he could say a word, a wave of pain washed over him, ripping a yelp from his vocals, as the bunny girl shooshed him and lay him back down upon the couch, which was a bit small for him.

"Chris! Don't move so much… you're hurt, I think some of your ribs might be fractured…" She said, soothingly. He had a blanket covering his body, and it was very warm… almost as warm as her presence…

Then things all came flowing back to him. His head jerked and he tried to move again, but she held him down easily, as he was still quite weak.

"Where's-..!" He began, she put a finger on his lips, silencing him effectively.

"It's ok, Chris… You got him. Some people came and took him away… He won't hurt anyone else…" She trailed, hinting that Chris had successfully took his life.

The injured rocker thought on that for a moment… wow… he couldn't believe he'd actually KILLED somebody, even if he didn't mean to, and in self defense… It was… a horrible feeling, and he didn't like it. He stood silent for a long time, and Cream found that she'd have to cheer him up somehow.

"…Don't worry… you saved me… again! At this rate, you'll out-do even Mr. Sonic!" She said to him, winking. Chris smiled, and relished that statement… Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all…

…He'd won the battle… and now he would get the joy of being nursed to health by Dr. Cream!

End Chapter 

Yes yes, I know… But I think it's unbelievably cute, don't you? The bell I mean… I don't know why, I just love them. Is that so HARD to understand!

Anyway, super duper Creamy Chris fluff, I know, but ultimately she'll end up with Tails… at least in THIS fic… hehe. Yes, there WILL be a sequel, but don't even acknowledge I said that, because I'll get DELETED for that shit.

JUST KIDDING!

Why the fuck are these sites so uptight about this shit! Whatever… just review, muh darlin's.

YiffyOne


	14. Chapter 14

Ahhh… I remember when I started writing this chapter…. about… a day ago, I think. Yup, I was perty glad… cuz I had 226 reviews at this point… then, it all went to hell when deleted the story right when I was about to reach the top… the fucking bastards.

Hahahaha, I'm laughing about it now, though… because I've said some mean ass shit about and, if you STILL don't hate the fuck out of it, then I'll be damned. Anyway, this is the latest chapter… the story's not done yet… but I update VERY fast, so don't worry! Read this, then leave me a real nice review, telling me what you think, ok?

_Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 14 "Clash of the Avians"_

Dead of the night in the Mystic Ruins… Poetic, and yet ominous. The blackest of clouds circle above… seeming to swirl in the sky, like vultures. There was not thunder, nor lightning, but night… still, and calm, to the point that would make one's stomach churn. A certain uneasiness was communicated quietly by nature.

Tails, being a homebody by nature, remained in his workshop, rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes. He couldn't sleep… on a night like this, he didn't want to. First, nearly being raped. Twice. Then… Shadow. Then…. He discovers the existence of a different world, and Vampires…

This was way too much for a 15 year old to handle!

The foxboy groaned in frustration. What would he do? He'd been pondering, weighing out his options for hours… he couldn't decide on what he _wanted_ to do…

His priorities struggled with his curiosity. He COULD delve into a whole new field of… erh, 'study'… yeah, that's it, study, if he were to use the aroma of his fur to his advantage… He could see what it actually feels like to enjoy the female touch… He could be loved, adored, worshipped even! But…

That was the point where the little angel on his shoulder began to argue with the little devil on the other one. He couldn't take advantage of somebody's emotions like that! It was just wrong… He had no right… but…

…He now had the ability. He found himself growling, his patience with himself growing thin, as he scruffled the fur of his head, irritated with the sudden anxiety. He'd have to FORCE himself to do one thing, or the other, arbitrarily, or he'd never decide. Not wanting to continue basking in his own agitation, he finally decided to…

_Experiment._

But who would he try it on…? Rouge and Amy were both eliminated immediately… Amy… He couldn't approach her safely… After seeing the way she reacted, he could well end up ruining more than one life… not only that, but if the effect ever wore off, and she found out… She'd KILL HIM!

Rouge… NO. NO. NO… he told himself, fighting to keep images out of his head. She was nothing short of scary, even if it _was _in an intriguing way, it was too much of a risk. Besides, Knuckles might blow his top… despite the factuality that he'd never openly admitted to any feelings… mental or physical (possibly both) he'd encountered around the bat. However, it was painfully obvious.

A pair of long ears, a fluffy cottonball tail, and glimmering chocolate eyes penetrated his mind. His body froze, and he completely zoned out, as the thought consumed him entirely. It was as if he was a statue… the only thing moving were his cerulean irises, which fluctuated unsurely within his eyes.

The cocoa eyes in his mind twinkled, and he saw stars within them… uncharted, warm stars, brighter than a sea of oil set ablaze. An entire undiscovered universe lied within that rabbit's huge, innocent eyes.

He watched a small drop of saliva fall from his mouth, and he slapped his gloved hand upon it immediately. Was he just drooling…?

What WAS it about her! What was it that fascinated him so much… that made him want to run to her, and avoid her in the same heartbeat? Her very thought seemed to make his world flip upside down, and become illogical and confusing…

…Whenever Cream the Rabbit visited him in his countless dreams of her, all of his intellect, all of his understanding of the real world crumbled… right down to the stuff he knew about himself. She was like a dream… she seemed to lock his normally abundant coherent thought.

He would see her so vividly in his dreams… he eventually began to wonder whether or not he was asleep, every time he saw her… It wasn't, however, as rare as you think, that they were to see one another in reality… she visited him a lot… though he never said much.

He'd just stare, and look away whenever her eyes tried to catch his. He'd nod at everything she said… relishing the voice, but not the words… he could only focus his mind on one thing whenever she was around… and it was usually her. Scratch that. That was a statement of good old American denial. He ALWAYS focused on her.

They say that knowledge talks, but wisdom listens… Her presence, whether the ethereal beauty of his dreams… or the angelic damsel of harsh reality, it always seemed to steal his wisdom away. And when that happened, he had no wisdom to hate her with… nor true knowledge on which to depend on. Leaving him with nothing… except an unbridled fascination.

Such power it must have required to render the brilliant Fox so helpless! It was a power he'd come to dread, and yet, at the same time… adore.

Being a genius, busy all the time, he himself, had long forgotten how to clear his mind, and calm down. The release… the tranquility… the gentle sweetness of each moment her visions brought him… he had to admit, were indescribable. Like nothing he'd ever felt… it was almost as if all his worries… his fatigues, and his personal issues and complexes were…

Wisp'd away by her very existence. Time and time again he'd find himself going to her… and each and every time, it was harder and harder to pull himself away.

Every time he'd become more and more inclined to her, and yet, more and more afraid that he'd become TOO inclined. He shook his head, successfully warding her for now.

As his rationality returned to him, he suddenly connected two key dots. Where he to… apply the experiment to _her…_ Perhaps he'd find some fulfillment? Perhaps she'd stop plaguing his mind… perhaps he'd no longer care if she _did_, perhaps…

Suddenly, a thunderous crash struck his home… and he was thrown to the floor from his couch. He regained his senses fully after a moment, and he hopped up, looking ready for anything, yet also worried.

It couldn't have been an earthquake… it was one solid crash. He began inspecting his workshop for the damages… As he rounded a corner, his stomach lurched, as he saw the door to his house… on the floor… in two symmetrical pieces…

This was scary. From the looks of it, the door had been… _cut in half._ The cut was absolutely perfect… that couldn't be a good thing for him! He looked around… To the left, to the right, behind him… everywhere, trying to find the intruder. His dual tails flared up, tensing for battle.

Now, Tails was no fool. If the intruder was out to harm him, then the logical thing to do was to exit the house, and enter more open grounds outside, so nobody could sneak up on him and slit his throat. And that's what he did. He didn't dash, didn't walk cautiously, but jumped and rolled outside, like some sort of agent amidst a gun fight. He sprung up immediately, looking directly behind him.

He turned round and round, trying to keep his eyes in every direction… he _knew _somebody was watching him… he could feel it. The presence wasn't in his house… but…

Suddenly, Tails was struck, hard, in the back of the head by something solid, and blunt. _How did they get the drop on me!_ He thought, as he fumbled forward, onto his stomach. Something in his brain, perhaps his instinct, perhaps his intuition, urged him to move immediately, despite injury.

The fox boy, thankfully, obeyed it, rolling to the side, as a sharp blade whirred, slicing the earth where his head was, a mere instant earlier. His grace finally caught up with him, and he backflipped to his feet, springing back from his hand. He was ready to fight now… not another attack was getting by him!

He analyzed the foe, surprised to discover that it wasn't any type of machine… but… a human?

The man smirked, apparently rejoicing that his target was not so simple to kill as his appearance belayed. He was a man of an average build… though a not-so-average evil pulsated from him…. it was enough to make a person with a normal intestinal fortitude physically sick.

He wore studded leather armor, a green tunic, and a purple headband… his hair was oddly toned, the hue of a pine tree… a very deep green. His eyes were much like Sonic's… Neon, emerald green… though _his…_ they were nothing short of scary. As Tails looked into those eyes… he sensed power, fierce, malicious power…

Tails had become much, much braver over the years… and he'd developed a natural talent for feeling… like a gut sense, people's intentions. Eventually, he'd gotten to where he could just _tell_ if somebody was good, bad, lying, or telling the truth… He had a super-sensitive sixth sense for detecting evil, and this guy set it off like nobody's business. For the first time in a long time, the fox boy felt his legs shaking.

"Hahahaha… Miles 'Tails' Prower… I can just _smell_ the fear on you, already!" He announced, twirling his razor sharp longsword, and sheathing it, as he walked slowly closer to him. Tails said nothing, still trying to fathom who this was, what he wanted, why he was here. The fox took a step back.

After a long moment, the evil man stood, arms folded, ever grinning, and let out another tainted laugh.

"Have you nothing to say to me…? You must really BE horrified. Maybe what they say is true…? Maybe you _are _the wisest of your kind, to fear me…" He said, full of himself. Tails shook his head, his will conquering his weakness… he couldn't be afraid… the second he becomes afraid, it would all be over.

"Who are you!" The two-tailed wonder demanded to know. The assassin popped his neck, rather loudly.

"I thought you'd never ask… I am many things… the incarnation of death… tangible destruction… the very worst of your nightmares…" He said, his words tipped with venom, as he took delight in using fear to his advantage… "…But I suppose, since you are about to die, you may call me by my birth name…" He drew his blade, and held it in front of him, pointing it at his target.

"I am Artimus, the Lethal!" He shouted, for the whole world to hear. As if on this very cue, a lightning bolt flashed behind him, and a crack of thunder followed. Tails took another step back, looking wary, and a bit nervous.

Artimus… the name went into his ears, and slithered up and down his body, making it tingle with coldness, seeming to freeze his very blood.

Tails had to be strong, he told himself. Sonic… Sonic wouldn't be afraid… Fear would only slow him down… and Sonic had no fear… maybe _that's_ why he was so fast? The fox boy mentally demolished his terror, and achieved a state of enhanced awareness… imagining his blue friend at his side.

The fox didn't hesitate another moment… Sonic would never hesitate, so neither would he. He charged at his attacker, his tails propelling himself forward, as the distance was closed easily. Tails was fast… but Artimus was much faster, showing this by dodging the attack with the utmost simplicity. He didn't even bother to counterattack.

The fox boy nearly fell down, not expecting any human to be that fast… no, on second thought, this _couldn't _be any NORMAL human…

Artimus's silvery sword rested in his right hand, at his side, in no real fighting stance… It didn't look like he intended to use the weapon just yet… Tails glanced at it. He remembered the door… did he accomplish slashing 2 inches of steel in half with just that…! It wasn't scientifically possible… he'd need unfathomable skill, strength, velocity…

…He shook his head, making the decision to worry about that later… His head throbbed… he was likely hit by the hilt of that sword… was Artimus merely toying with him?

His first tactic failing, Tails deployed an ability that would surely give him an advantage: His flight. He whirled his claims to fame, lifting himself into the air. He grinned, waiting for the enemy's surprised reaction… but…

Artimus didn't look the slightest bit impressed.

"Ha… hahaha…. hahahahahahaha! You call THAT flight! How foolish!" He mocked, from the ground down below. Tails only glared down at him, trying not to let the words anger him.

"At least I CAN fly, Fartimus!" Tails shouted down to him, confident. Artimus scowled in disgust.

"How immature! I'll cut that grin off your face, you cur!" The leader of the Chaos Troupe shouted up, secretly insulted by this name.

Tails rolled about in the sky, laughing as hard as he could, just to rub it in… two could play at these mind games. …What the two-tailed flyer didn't know, however, is that Artimus had more than enough skill to force-feed him those words. His mid-air mockery was cut short, as he noticed that… something from the ground appeared to be giving off a strange light.

The fox immediately detected danger, as he looked down, to see, to his dismay…

…Nothing..?

"Huh!" Tails shouted, his eyes dilating with surprise, as his… backside is swatted by the flat side of a blade, causing him to yelp and fall to the ground, with a thud. His eyes teared up as he rubbed his aching rump…

"Hahahahahahahaha! If you want to insult someone, do it physically, you worthless maggot!" Came the above taunts of Artimus… Tails looked up, angry at first, but his face faded to worry when he saw that…

Artimus had wings! Upon his back, they flapped up and down, levitating him… ever-glowing, and transparent, almost as if they weren't real…

But, seeing as they enabled him to fly, the fox found that, unfortunately for him, the were indeed, real. He rubbed his sore bottom again, hoping the insulting sword-spank wouldn't affect his flying.

A bit angry now, Tails twisted his dual appendages, and took to the air again, leveling with the emerald assassin. They stared each other down for a long time… Artimus was still merely toying with him, it was obvious… so he was waiting to be attacked… whereas Tails was trying to think of some tactic that would work to his advantage… He looked at the razor sharp blade, in which his foe gripped with his right hand, and felt beads of sweat forming on his head… the accursed sword proved to be even more of an obstacle than the Wings of Chaos. He'd use his mighty tails to attack his foe… but… he wouldn't be ABLE to if they were to get lopped off!

The thought made his stomach twist agonizingly. Every strategy he thought of had a flaw… And Artimus was beginning to look impatient.

"…What are you waiting for? Attack me, or be attacked!" the avian warrior shouted, swishing his light blade through the air threateningly. Tails flinched, but did nothing.

The fox boy was no fool… and he NEVER attacked unsurely… never without a sure-fire plan, of which he currently had none. He began considering a hasty retreat… dishonorable, maybe… but he was unarmed, and he was no vicious fighter like Sonic or Knuckles…

He decided to see if he could out-fly him. Tails waited one more moment, then used all of the might in his 'copter-like tails to jet through the air, seaward. Artimus was surprised, delaying his reaction and giving Miles a head start, before he gave chase, shouting angrily after him:

"You coward! Have you no honor!" He screamed at the soaring fox. Tails looked back, to see that he was quickly catching up with him…

"Maybe maneuverability then…?" The vulpine genius whispered to himself, performing an impressive rise, followed by a backwards dive. This was his greatest evasive action… he'd actually used it to dodge heat seeking missiles in the past, but…

No dice! Artimus not only predicted, but counter-acted the move, screeching to a halt and reversing his direction to slice at Tails…

_SLISH!_

The fox's heart throbbed for that one moment, when everything seemed to freeze, as the outcome of the attack resulted in…

He ripped his slashed vest from his chest, to see himself still intact… it was a close miss, and a miraculous one! Tails mentally praised his luck, as he formed a small strategy…

He continued to retreat, despite it's futility. He looked behind him, an enraged swordsman gaining on him, weapon extended. He didn't look to happy about that miss. The fox kept flying, and flying, until the villain was a mere centimeter from coming into range to strike when…

…Tails turned the tables. He stopped mid-air, and turned around, on a collision coarse with his foe, who's face was twisted in surprise, as the young fox lashed at him with both of his powerful 'weapons'… but…

Artimus somehow managed to slip away from them, making the attack end in failure. His tails hitting nothing, and no longer spinning to support him, the astonished fox plummeted, catching himself just before hitting the sea.

This wasn't good… he looked around, until his baby blues locked onto his enemy once again. The most powerful of all 7 emerald spirits smiled arrogantly, as he hovered above him, looking devilishly smug. Tails clinched his fists.

"Lucky dodge!" the young fox claimed.

"Look who's talking?" The emerald-eyed swordsman countered.

"Grrrr… I'm gonna clip those wings of yours!" The boy yelled, giving in to his own frustration. Artimus gave a tainted grin.

"I dare you to try…" He said, eyes flashing with confidence, malice, and deadliness. Tails was too mad to come up with any witty come-backs.

"You're such a jerk!" He shouted, running out of strategies, wit, and dangerously low on hope. The masterful fighter only grinned larger, and more evilly.

"At least I don't fly with my ass…" He taunted. With that snide remark, Tails's patience, logic, and common sense all snapped at once.

Without another second passing, the fox's face twisted in rage, and he roared more viciously than he ever had before. For the first time in his life, he was blinded by anger. He propelled himself toward his hated enemy, reaching a velocity that exceeded even his normal limits.

Artimus, however, underestimated the power that anger bestowed. Tails came up faster than he'd expected, and his weapon was still to the side when a fist came into contact with his face, with a loud popping sound.

…For a moment, both were still in the air, the assassin's head slumped slightly to the side, a fist-shaped bruise visible on his cheek. The attacking fox froze also, his fist still in the poised from that last swing.

Ominously, Artimus raised his head, a terrifying sort of irritation eddying about his expression. He spit out a single tooth, and wiped his mouth. Tails suddenly regained his senses, as his anger faded… he should have attacked with his tails but… his fist jumped out first. He'd never had impressive arm strength… in a different situation, it would have been laughable that he had been capable of knocking someone's tooth out with the limb.

Before he could blink, a sharp pain gripped his cheek, and another powerful blow sent him plummeting, until his body bounced a few times after colliding with solid ground.

A agonized grunt was ripped from the fox's throat, as he tried to regain the wind that was knocked out of him. He coughed a few times, picking himself up from the ground, weakly. He felt his cheek which felt like it was on fire… He'd been cut, but not bad…

It was right across the scar that Amy'd given him (see chapter 1)… and it would probably leave another nasty one on his face… Blood oozed from it… not a sick amount, but enough to let you know that it was more than a tiny scratch.

"(coughing a little)… ok… that didn't work out so well…" The fox boy choked out, still a little woozy from being kicked so hard. He staggered up, and something… fell out of the pockets of his shorts…

He looked down at it… it was his master remote. (again, see chp. 1)

The master remote… it was one of the best things he'd ever invented. It was compact, it worked on virtually every type of mechanical device, and he'd even formatted it to control the Typhoon!

Something in Tails's big ol' brain clicked, as he finally formed an idea that would surely save his pelt.

"Of coarse! Why didn't I think of it sooner…?" He whispered to himself as he picked up the device, then looked up at Artimus, who was flying ominously downward.

"…I really must congratulate you, fox… you're the first warrior who's ever struck me successfully… Too bad I have to kill you now…" He said, landing on the ground, his wings disappearing as he did.

Tails hid the remote behind him, though he couldn't prevent the huge grin from forming on his face. Artimus scowled demonically.

"…What are you smirking about, you court jester?" He insulted, taking a single step toward the fox…

"…This." Tails said, before the leader of the Chaos Troupe heard a beeping noise from behind him.

_FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

Came the sound of the thunderous propeller on the Typhoon, which shot out into the sky from Tails's workshop, like a mighty eagle, arcing backwards, causing Artimus to be extremely startled…

"W-w-What IS that thing!" Came his shocked yell, as he watched the machine to an impressive aerial trick.

Being that the last time Artimus was released from the green Chaos Emerald was 1000 years ago, the poor warrior was frightened, having no idea whatsoever exactly what the strange object was…

The swift Typhoon zipped through the air, as the young foxboy amused himself in torturing his foe with it, using the joystick on the remote to make it zoom by him several times, though the nimble warrior cautiously dodged each time, shouting curses.

Not wanting to be foolish as to give the assassin time to figure out _he_ was the one controlling the 'blasted metal bird' (as the villain had consistently been referring to it), he jumped into the air on the last pass, leaping into the cockpit, with a well-practiced, swift motion. He flew up, up, and away in his plane, praising his lucky stars that he always carried his wonderful little remote with him.

Artimus finally caught on, and jumped into the air, his wings materializing. He yelled something after him, but Tails couldn't hear it over the loud propeller. Without a moment's hesitation, the young fox boy pressed the big red button that would ensure his victory…

"Typhoon! Transform!" He yelled out, (really just for show, but, you know) as the plane underwent it's amazing, brilliant transformation…

The winged essence of the green Emerald stopped mid-air, staring in awe as the metal of the plane twisted, clanked, and robotically molded, enshrining the inventive fox-boy within it…

Tails's most powerful inventions proved _always_ to be parts of his planes… the fact that the Typhoon was the smallest-looking aircraft he'd ever built only hid it's true nature… that nature being the most powerful weapon he'd ever constructed!

The process completed, and the fox grinned, only his head visible, as a bionic cursor-device lowered mechanically to cover one of his eyes. Artimus didn't even know what to think, as he looked at his new opponent…

There he was, his body enveloped by his invention… which he fondly dubbed the Bionic Omni-Optical Suit/Tank… or B.O.O.S.T. It was the only transformation of the Typhoon… but also the only one it would ever need. It looked to be a humanoid robot, with legs, and arms. The core of the machine was bulky, containing the engine of the machine, and the power-source, which was an alternation of cold fusion, combining the theory of free energy with the fake chaos emerald he'd created long ago, resulting in a similar affect to having it powered by a REAL Chaos Emerald… The legs contained many jet-like propulsion systems that could move him every which way he desired, and quickly. Upon the right shoulder, there was a large device, looking like a golden needle, which was in reality, a proton cannon, which blasted a highly concentrated and condensed particle beam, capable of piercing 30 inches of titanium… when set to minimal power. On the left, there was a box, containing more than a dozen gravitic rockets, which had various lock-on features. The right arm of the machine was an extremely large gun, which was similar to a gattling gun, only using more powerful projectiles, fired by using the rail gun principal, or using magnets to fire the bullets at increased velocity… It was dubbed the 'Vulcan cannon'. Upon the other arm, there appeared to be only a hand, but, concealed within that, there was a fully functional magnetic force-field, which could completely deflect anything from a .45 caliber handgun, to an .75 anti-tank shell.

The view of the machine, through the eyes of one who must battle it… let us just say, was nothing short of horrifying. This was, by far, the most devastatingly destructive thing the young boy had ever built… he often felt as if creating such a weapon was a crime to this world… though he was mentally thanking himself for that now.

Tails looked at the so-called 'assassin' through the night vision scope, seeing the body heat in various colors. As he watched him, it seemed that his body was getting colder, and colder… as if from fear. The fox hesitated, then tapped the robotic monocle twice, causing it to whir, then fold up out of his line of normal vision. He didn't need it.

He looked at Artimus, who's face was etched with sheer terror. Seeing something like this nowadays would be scary… but seeing one 1000 years ago…? Something like that would likely drive a person insane.

Suddenly, despite the fact that this man had nearly killed him, Tails felt… sympathy toward him. The advantage he now held was nothing short of unfair.

…For a long moment, neither dared to speak. Finally, the young fox said something.

"…You should've thought twice before trying to kill me, Artimus." He said, his words strangely gentle, though meant to be threatening. "…I've got more than enough firepower here to incinerate you to nothing but a spec of dust… so… If you still want to live, then leave, now!" He shouted, raising his Vulcan Cannon to aim it at his foe.

Artimus's face suddenly faded from fear, and twisted into one of anger… he would not run away… he WOULD NOT lose… He had to please his master… he HAD to.

"So you have a suit of armor now… big deal! I'll shred you into confetti nonetheless!" The spirit shouted, dashing forward, sword extended to dismantle the levitating machine.

Tails closed his eyes, sad that he had to do this… as his finger pulled on a trigger…

---+---+

…_.ratatatatatatatatatatatatat…._

The faint sound roused the aching bat from her unconsciousness…

"Oh… my aching head…" The silky voice muttered, as she rose to sit up.

End chapter 

That's all for now folks… I know, I know… 14 chapters and STILL no romance, right! Well, you lucky fools got all 14 at the same time, so you haven't been waiting half as long as the faithful reviewers from had… but have faith! The longer you wait for it, the better it'll be…

Action scenes aren't the ONLY thing's I can write, as you'll soon see.

Anyway, if you're being a fucker and haven't reviewed ANY of the other chapters, then you better leave a KICKASS review for this one, that is IF you want me to keep writing… I update very, very quick… WHEN I get reviews… so come on! If you don't review, then trust me, no one will. That's all I've got to say.

That and a faggot.

YiffyOne


	15. Chapter 15

YiffyOne here, back to cop out yet another chapter, exclusively for my public at Now, as much as I love each and every reviewer I had from I've noticed not a single person from mediaminer has reviewed… and I KNOW there are some newbies out there, reading the story, getting their sick kicks, and NOT commenting! This makes me unhappy…

And if I'm not happy, the story will suffer, so if you want the writing to be at it's best, then all you have to do is type out what you think… It's not like I don't read them or anything, you know! As a matter of fact, I used to give a reply to every review, and, on occasion, I still do, so for God's sake, folks, review the dang story, and stop taking advantage of the privilege of reading it!

And yes, I'm quite aware that that's just a tiny bit pretentious… I'm also aware that my writing's not God's gift to the world, but seriously, it's free, and I put a lot of effort into it, so the least you can do is gimme a little feedback, alright?

Don't forget, I've got a story, and I'm NOT afraid to abuse it! Anyway, I'd, before I start this chapter, like to give a special thanks to all those out there whom have JOINED THE DARK ARMY OF DESTRUCTION! Yes,we will crush tyranny in one fell swoop at the rate we are collecting followers! But one can never have enough allies! By all means, keep the cadets coming! Oh, and a special thanks goes out to Watch For Stars for enlisting THREE members into our ranks! Private, you've officially been promoted to Captain! Congratulations, and keep up the good work! There just may be more promotions in store for you in the near future!

Anyway, enough talk of mayhem and chaos (for now), on with the story.

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 15: "A Change of Heart" 

The young-looking immortal gulped hard, in a pathetic attempt to rid himself of the horrible lump forming in his throat. Why was he, one with so heavy a conscience, destined to tread such a dreary, not to mention sinful path…?

He felt the already-accumulating guilt well up in him, as he tried to prepare himself for what he must do. The feeling grew, and mixed with a noticeable fear, as the sun began to tint the sky with a brilliant array of colors. He looked at it, and his face hardened, though only a bit. It seemed as though nature was mocking him with such a happy display of dawn.

What had _he_ to be happy about… he had gifts, but none of them fell onto the list of things which he desired. All he had was… power. Power wrongly given to him… the power of Chaos.

Chaos is power… but was the chant of the ancient Echidna tribe true…? Was that power truly enriched by… the _heart_, of all things?

Little Armic walked onward, silently, aimlessly, following only his intuition. He used the staff, loosely held within his left hand to serve as a walking stick, as the metal gave off a dull, low clink with each contact it made with the ground. At a glance, the boy was quite cute… innocent even. His face was generally wore an unsure, stressful expression… Of the kind no human of this mortal coil could comprehend. He seemed to be the human incarnation of anxiety, worry, and hesitation. Just glancing upon the fragile-looking youth would make a person concerned for him.

However, despite his child-like features, the spirit of the yellow Chaos Emerald was certainly not defenseless. The boy was just as strong as any of his brothers or sisters… with the exception of maybe Artimus… but strength was one of the few blessings he'd never had want, much less need for… He was a misfit, to the point where his very existence was almost a paradox within itself.

His baby-like features faded into a sharp look of worry, lined with deep hesitation. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he felt their presence slowly fading away… his siblings, were they… dying?

"…Impossible…?" He muttered, staring off into the fiery horizon. His dazzling, amber eyes seemed to be ignited by the light they reflected.

A long moment passed, but he didn't notice… he'd lived so long it seemed the flow of time was… almost invisible to him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd openly felt the passage of it…

He shook his head, steeling himself, poorly, but enough to press onward, as he suddenly felt very, very alone. Even more alone than normal.

"Mustn't… hesitate… Have to… kill…" He trailed, the final word leaving a disgusting taste in his mouth, as he trudged forward, entering a familiar city…

---------

Camouflaged perfectly within a sea of her own interior decorations, all the same shade of pepto-bismol pink, the head of quills finally raised from the floor, on which it had rested for many hours.

The majority of Amy's quills sprawled out onto her face, giving her a 'Frankenstein's Bride' sort of look. The migraine within her tiny head was evident, as she staggered to her feet, groaning in an irritated, unearthly manner. It was possible she wasn't entirely conscious, as she, almost drunkly, felt the floor to locate her trademark burette, which matched her signature red dress and boots perfectly. After who knows how many moments, her braced glove fell upon the plastic item.

Grumbling, the vision of (though presently diminished) hedgehog beauty scooped the accessory up, and placed it on her head, all the while moving her frazzled, but well-groomed quills aside, so she could see. Her teal eyes were noticeably, and uncharacteristically glum, half lidded, possibly even less of a percentage awake.

She shuffled across the apartment, instinctively knowing her way around the place, with the exception of the occasional bump into a doorway, which she'd miscalculated the exact location of. The searing pain in her skull eventually coaxed her into a fully conscious state, as she gazed into her bathroom mirror. She let out a shrill gasp as she saw the bump, which was doubtlessly the source of her current headache.

She touched it lightly, and hissed when the injury seemed to translate the soft palm into many stabbing needles of pain.

"Yowch! How in the world did I do that, I wonder…?" She questioned aloud.

She took a brief moment to comb her mind for answers, but found nothing… She shook her head, in a sassy, frivolous manner. Whether due to the minor concussion to the head, or her usual absent-mindedness, Amy Rose simply couldn't remember.

However, not being one to EVER dwell upon things, the bizarre incident was quickly forgotten. Yes, it was an admirable, though strange faculty of hers… She could get over any emotional or personal issue faster than Sonic could clear a mile, it seemed.

Thoughts flooding with images of Sonic (her general state of mind), the pink hedgehog hummed to herself, whilst she preened her quills, using the mirror as a guide to make her quills look at least half-way presentable, before walking out of her bathroom, toward her apartment door.

---+--

Rouge dusted herself off and scoffed. She was profoundly miffed, for varying reasons. One, her body ached all over. Two, she had no idea why she was were she was, next to Amy's apartment, not to mention on the ground, the FILTHY ground, for who knows how long. And of coarse, three, the fact that somebody, though she couldn't bring herself to remember who, SOMEBODY attacked her.

The bat's sex appeal would have proved to work in her favor, were any watching, even as she paced about angrily, her hips swinging as she walked. Vengeance was easy enough for her to achieve, what with her… talents for torture, whether emotional or physical, but how was she supposed to get revenge on somebody she didn't even see?

For a moment the thieving lover of jewels became a living, walking, and quite frightening form of sheer irritation, as her motion finally stopped, and she tapped her foot, rather stomped, the ground impatiently.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" She screamed, at the top of her (obviously healthy) lungs. This roused many people from their sleep, even caused some of the dwellers of the apartments to stick their heads timidly out their doors in search of the source of the commotion, only to yank them back inside before being spotted by the fuming bat.

One in particular walked out her door, mallet held above her head, in preparation to strike down some imaginary profanity-using foe, but her features calmed a little upon seeing her friend.

"Rouge? What are you doing he-…" Amy started, but Rouge wouldn't let her finish.

"I don't KNOW. That's just the problem. I just… woke up here…" The sexy bat interrupted, her normally silky voice cracking a bit, as she folded her arms in a rather unladylike frustration. The pink hedgehog frowned.

"What? What do you think happened…?" She gently prodded. Rouge didn't seem to become any more stable, despite the soothing tone Amy implemented on her.

"I said I don't know, sheesh. I feel like my head's been used as a soccer ball, I can't even think straight…" The upset thief announced, rubbing her cranium. Amy's flashing jade eyes lost their glint for a moment, as she warily felt the back of her head, identifying a very peculiar similarity in Rouge's predicament to her own.

"That's strange… I woke up with a headache, too… here, look!" Amy said, turning around and showing her the fresh bump on her head. Rouge's aquamarine eyes shrunk, as she examined the minor injury.

"Owch… Where'd you get that?" She asked, finally calming down a bit, for the moment. Amy turned around and did her best not to look like an airhead.

"Uh… I dunno." She stated, simply. The bat shook her head, sweatdropping. "No, really, I just woke up on the ground like this…" She said, feeling dumb, though she certainly had more intellect than she was ever given credit for.

"Huh… Same here… that's just… huh." Rouge mused, trailing, unable to think of the words to describe such an odd coincidence.

A moment passed, as both girls looked rather pensive, and just a tidbit curious. Neither dared to speak on their suspicions, as most were fairly ridiculous. After a longer moment passed, they both sighed, virtually at the same time, as they were both drawing blanks.

"Oh… this is stupid. Normally we leave the thinking to fox-boy… How does he handle it?" Rouge muttered, shrugging, shunning all hopes of ever unraveling the mystery. Amy smiled, but sweatdropped at her manner. She couldn't be more right, though.

"I dunno… I guess out of all of us, SOMEBODY'S gotta be the brains." Amy answered, despite the question being rhetorical. Rouge grinned a little, as Amy's presence always had a way of cheering her up, even if she wasn't trying to.

"Well, we may as well…!" All the sudden, Rouge snapped to attention, and took a defensive stance, eyes whipping across the doors and focusing on something behind Amy.

Amy turned around, and gasped a little, her hammer at the ready…

"How unfortunate… I've found you…" The young boy said to them.

Amy and Rouge scanned the youth, and his attire. He looked young… not a day over 13… maybe even less. He wore yellow and orange robes that matched the hues of the sun… his look completed with a large orange ribbon tied at his waist, making him quite cute, actually. His golden eyes flashed in the coming morning light, though the light did not come from within, like a normal child's would, but bounced off of them. His face, despite it's youthful charm, looked sickeningly grim. His skin was pale, and his features frozen into a stone-like glare. He stood, perfectly balanced on the rail lining the edge of the upper level of the apartment building… something no normal person could do. Within his small left hand he held an ornate rod, which looked heavier than it probably was. The young boy was left-handed.

Rouge's posture melted from a fighting stance, into her normal manner of standing, legs apart and a hand on her hip, the side of her body facing the little boy. He was a human… a strange-looking one, but certainly no threat to her. Amy also relaxed, but not as much as Rouge… her eyes told her that he was just a harmless little boy… but her heart… her heart told her that he was… she couldn't even describe the mixed and matched emotions she felt from him, but it wasn't good. He seemed torn.

"What do you want, child?" Rouge asked, easily. Armic grinned faintly.

"That… Is a question I've never known the answer to." The young one stated, leaping from the railing to the ground with ease, taking a few steps toward them, stopping at about 3 yards from them. "…All I know is what must take…" He told them, somehow achieving a smile that reeked of despair.

Rouge cocked her head. She didn't understand his meaning at all. What kind of boy talks like that? Amy just frowned, feeling the sadness resonating from him thicken as he drew nearer.

"…That doesn't make any sense." The bat stated, bluntly. The emerald spirit laughed weakly, in spite of himself.

"Hehehe… I assure you, madam, if _everything_ made sense, then there'd be no impurities in this world." He told her, making his little grin seem like a deep frown. Rouge didn't get this kid at all… he talked in a very strange manner.

"…Wait, why is it unfortunate that you've found us…?" Amy said, seeming off topic, mentioning the first statement that the boy had said. She simply had to know what he meant by that… it was making her noticeably concerned. Armic looked at her, and pointed at her with his right finger, smiling still, though it didn't have the same properties of a normal smile…

"Beware, miss, what questions you ask." He told her. She looked at him, perplexed, as he continued, "…For each question you ask… shows what you do not know… or in this case, shouldn't need to know." He explained. Rouge was getting irritated now, not knowing what to make of what he was telling them.

The bat's wings flared up, and she walked toward the boy, looking at him expectantly. He didn't seem at all intimidated, but his look lightened just a bit. He nodded.

"Very well, if you must know, I was referring to myself. It is unfortunate that I've found you… because now there's no turning back. I must do… what I was sent to do…" As he said this, he turned around, showing them his back, as he hopped back onto the rail he initially appeared on.

"Wait, who are you… and what were you sent to do…?" Amy asked, very serious. Rouge glanced at her, her look silently asking the girl why she was making such a big deal out of this.

Armic slowly turned his head back to look at them.

"If you must know… then follow me. But be forewarned… if you _should _follow…" He said, seeming more sad than ever, as a brief moment passed. He regained his senses, and managed to look back once more, his eyes harsh, and deadly. "You will die." He said, words tipped with an uncharacteristic venom, as he leapt below, leaving them.

Both girls immediately flinched, and ran to the railing. It was at least a 30 foot drop to the sidewalk down below! How could this little boy just jump off like that! Through their own gasps, the women saw the mysterious, philosophical boy, down below, perfectly unharmed, slowly walking away from them, toward the bustling highway, where oncoming traffic impended.

"My God!" Amy shrieked, as she flinched, covering her eyes, not wishing to see such a young, handsome human smeared across the pavement. It was miraculous enough that he didn't break his legs in that jump, but…

Suddenly Rouge tapped her shoulder, and pointed in his direction, her eyes showing disbelief, and urgency. Amy looked, to see the small boy nimbly leaping into the air, and, with the utmost grace and accuracy, landing atop the oncoming vehicle, and leaping off of it, landing onto a dairy truck heading in the opposite direction, the one he was originally going. It was early morning, so the traffic wasn't that busy… but still.

Amy's eyes shrunk to dots as the young boy turned around, atop the moving truck, and glancing at her, eyes beckoning her to follow, as he disappeared behind a building, the truck rounding a corner.

Rouge shook her head, flustered and confused, but visibly more stable than Amy was.

"He's definitely no normal human…" The bat proclaimed, bluntly, her voice calm, yet on edge… the way she always was before a big battle.

"…He's not human." Ms. Rose said, still staring in the direction he'd departed. Rouge felt a deep seriousness in the pink girl's voice, and, though she didn't know whether to agree, she nodded.

A moment passed, and nothing notable happened, Amy still looked to be in shock, and the kleptomaniac bat kept the same look she always had. Rouge gave it some thought, and came to a definite conclusion. She jumped up onto the rail, and spread her powerful wings. The pink hedgehog looked at her, puzzled. Rouge didn't bother to glance at her.

"Well, I'm going. That boy has something that belongs to me." She said. Amy cocked her head, but not the normal sassy way.

"What? What could he possibly have that belongs to you…?" She asked the leather clad thief. Rouge still didn't look at her, but answered.

"A Chaos Emerald." She told her friend.

"A Chaos…Emerald?" Amy echoed, climbing up onto the rail, leveling with the bat. Rouge finally looked at her.

"…Don't tell me you couldn't feel it…? I've been around them enough to recognize that feeling… He's got one, I just know it." She said, turning her head straight ahead. Amy thought about it for a second… she felt something… but didn't recall the energy of a Chaos Emerald… making her emotions fluctuate like this.

Amy didn't like being around that boy… she'd always had a special knack for knowing what other people feel, just from being around them. She knew, because when she felt emotions like that, strong ones, they made her feel that way as well. Though she saw him frown only once… that boy's very existence seemed to give off the deepest despair she'd ever felt. It made her heart droop in her chest, and she didn't like it one bit.

"You're going to go…? I don't think he… was kidding when he said we'd… (gulp) regret following him…" Amy trailed. The sadness and guilt wasn't the only thing she'd felt of Armic… she'd also sensed a deep reservoir of power, unlike anything she'd felt in a long time. Rouge seemed surprised that she was actually afraid.

"…You can't be serious? Are you actually _afraid?_ Sure, the Emerald seems to give him superhuman agility, but he wouldn't last 3 minutes against either of us… a single Emerald's only so powerful, honey." She said, letting out a silky, though abnormally nerve-rending laugh.

A long moment passed, and Amy's face clenched in anger, and frustration at her own indecisiveness. She gritted her teeth, and groaned in that way she did when she was upset with her own emotions.

"Fine! I'll show YOU who's afraid!" She shouted, leaving Rouge to watch the pink hedgehog girl leap off of the rails, just as Armic had, only she landed on the elastic, decorative awning of the apartment, bouncing off of it, and running down the road in his direction, hammer extended.

Without a second thought, Rouge flapped her mighty wings, lifting herself into the air, as she used her altitude to glide in that direction, following Amy, who seemed to know where she was going.

-------+-

The wind blew the silent, tranquil form. His eyes turned to the now blue sky, where he could still see the moon. The moon… in a blue, daylit sky? It looked so strange up there… so out of place… and yet he related to it so much…

He took his hand and raised it up to the moon, seeming to caress it.

"…You were created for darkness… and yet each day you find it harder and harder to hide yourself from the light you _so_ wish to be a part of…" He spoke, words falling upon none but his own ears, as he found nature again, mocking him… all but the misfit moon.

"…No… You… _we_ cannot embrace the light. I'm sorry… but it's simply not our destiny. I know. I'm afraid of the dark too… but we must face our darkness… accept it… if we don't… the light will only be tainted by our darkness, and suffer _with_ us…" The young boy told the spherical object. And though it was millions of miles away from him, it seemed as though the moon understood, as it became less visible, disappearing within the morning sky.

The peaceful, ill-fated spirit felt another wind blow upon his back, and his face sank into an intense anxiety, as he felt them upon him…

---

Amy held her hammer at the ready, as she watched the young one turn around. A strong breeze blew his blonde hair, which shimmered, as he looked at them, his face in a stern expression, though one could easily detect the regret hidden within it.

"I see… So you've decided to come…" He trailed, as his robes blew wildly to the side, making him look dynamic, as he stood in the middle of the Station City National Park, in the middle of a field of daisies. Amy had no words, so she just nodded. Rouge landed next to her, and said nothing, wanting to let Amy make the first move.

The wind picked up again, and the petals of the flowers glided through the wind, circling him, a beautiful, and yet violent display, before flying into the air, seeming to disappear within the infinite vacuum that was the sky. The boy… he looked so solemn, so peaceful, and so rightly placed in the beautiful display… and yet… his emotion, his aura was in a different place… a much darker, drearier place, and it made the air that the two girls inhaled thick, and fat.

"Who are you…?" Amy finally asked, unsettled by the horrible silence. The mystery boy's expression did not change.

"…I am called Armic… though, for what I'm about to do, you won't wish to hold this title with any respect… as I deserve none, nay, less than none!" He shouted, looking up, and getting slightly emotional. Amy frowned.

Rouge, however, was fed up with this dramatic, horribly tragic attitude of his… and she showed this by stepping forth, and folding her arms disdainfully. Armic looked at her. (Armic's about Chris's height, by the way… by that I mean the younger, Sonic X Chris, so he's about level with Rouge.)

"…I don't understand you at all. If you're so ashamed of what you haven't even done yet, then why bother doing it?" The bat asked him, voice tinted with a righteous sort of irritation. Armic actually smiled a little bit… this time it seemed like a real one, even.

"…You, I like, m'lady. But, sadly, I must commit this horrible crime, and I cannot leave without your lives… or I shall be punished, brutally… beyond anything you could ever comprehend." He told her. Rouge didn't know how to respond… she was thrown off by the contradiction in the statement… first he compliments her, then he proclaims her demise? She looked at Amy, though it was futile to think that she'd have any answers… or was it?

"…Armic…" Amy said, gaining his attention. "…That's your name, right?" She asked him. He nodded, silently. She stepped forward, looking… unsure, insecure… and yet resonating an emotion that could move mountains.

"…You're not bad… I can feel it, you're not a bad person…" She was cut short.

"With all due respect, Ms. Rose, I beg to differ. Even if, at heart, I were truly the purest of the pure, that can never change my destiny… As much as I regret speaking this truth, it remains clear to me… it is our destinies that shape us, our actions, our choices, and our lives. And my destiny… is a cruel one. Therefore, I must be ruthless, just as it has been to me." He said, making a gesture with his staff. Amy shook her head, strongly disagreeing.

"No, _you're_ the one who's wrong! It may not be my place to say this since I don't know who you are, where you came from, but you're not that selfish… there's something more to this, I can see it…" She said, eyes lit with passion, a passion that seemed to intimidate the boy, as he visibly took a step back.

"…You say you're here to kill us… and you say that you must, or face punishment… but I can tell… you're not that selfish." Amy repeated, taking another step towards him, "… You're the kind of person who'd easily give his life to save someone you didn't even know… and I know that's not your purpose for facing us here! You're not here to sacrifice us… you're here…" Amy trailed, before pointing her hammer right at him. He was visibly sweating now. "…You're here to sacrifice _yourself_!" She proclaimed, seeming to shatter the very earth with her passionate voice.

Rouge just looked at her, flabbergasted. How could Amy, of all people unearth so much of a person she'd never seen before in her life….? Her eyes then trailed to Armic, whom, at first, looked at the ground, ashamed. He then looked up, and smiled oh-so weakly.

"…Amazing. You have… you've seen right through me, haven't you…?" He said, walking to the side, slowly, away from them, but at a hesitant, lingering pace.

"…It's easy. You're a horrible liar… and I know there's no such thing as destiny." Amy told him. He looked over at her, and stopped, smiling a little.

"Thank you." He told her. The pink hedgehog looked wary, and furrowed her brow, in a questioning manner.

"…For what…?" She asked him. He stretched a little, and whirled his weapon around with expertise.

"You just taught me a little more about… myself." He said. Rouge looked ready to fight, noticing that the boy was in a fighting stance now. "…Although, I'm sad to say, I'm not going to hold back… for such power as to unveil the mysteries of an individual one does not even know…" as he said that, he surprised both, as he leaped into the air, and made a horizontal pass at them, hitting both, knocking them back, "…Should be more than enough to deal with the likes of me!" He shouted, as both girls recovered from the blow quickly, ready this time.

Rouge looked in Amy's direction, and spoke to her.

"He's fast, but not that powerful…" The bat told the hedgehog. Amy rolled to the side to dodge another oncoming attack.

"Ow… Speak for yourself! That hurt…" The girl whined. Rouge scoffed, and took to the air…

…but before she could get any leverage, she found Armic upon her, twirling his weapon about his body quickly and confusingly, before skillfully leaping and swatting her from the air, landing gracefully, as the petals of the daisies upon which they fought fluttered up around his kneeling form, blown from the impact. Seeing what she thought was an opening, Amy finally unleashed an attack with her hammer, but the blow was swiftly, and forcefully parried by the stave, knocking not only the hammer, but the girl wielding it horribly off balance, leaving her dead open for a swift blow by the other end of the staff. Armic executed a perfect move, spinning on his heels, rotating his rod skillfully through his fingers, and brought the least expected end of it behind him, to strike her, causing her to fall down.

By this time the boy had an angry bat upon him, and, as he dodged a few kicks, he could almost feel the power behind each one just by the way they seemed to cut the air around him, as he narrowly dodged as many as he could, before he had to resort to blocking, which he succeeded, but, he was still hit by the turbulence of the attack, making him stumble backwards, and fall to his back.

Before Rouge could land a hard axe-kick to his skull, he flipped backwards to his feet, as far away from her as possible. She kept advancing, so he ceased this with a well placed sweep, easily knocking the single foot out from under her. She seemed to use only her legs as weapons… he'd take advantage of that, seeing as using them to fight left one's footing rather diminished.

The bat temporarily thwarted, Armic again found himself narrowly dodging the bizarre mallet, as he side flipped away. Amy was upon him quick, but her weapon was massive, leaving her only with the option of swinging it vertically, or horizontally, and she seemed to prefer vertical. The assassin guessed right, and hooked the head of the Piko Piko Hammer with his staff, and brought it upwards. Amy didn't want to let the weapon go, so he had to kick her off of it in order to disarm her. The hammer was sent flying, leaving her defenseless. The boy looked around him, but couldn't locate the bat, whom he expected to be attacking him by now…

He couldn't find her, not fast enough anyway, as the foot connected with his skull, sending him straight into a tree trunk. He let out a muffled oof, and slumped to the ground. He made his first mistake in neglecting her ability of flight… He was hoping not to take a hit like that… much less on a vital. He literally saw stars, and his vision shook, taking it's sweet time in refocusing itself.

Armic was, by far, the most skilled of his brothers and sisters. Even when it came to Artimus, he exceeded all of them when it came to how effectively he wielded his weapon. He was also quick to react, and quite the strategist, his strongest areas being identifying enemy's weaknesses, and utilizing any and all advantages in battle. He used his staff as if it were part of his own body, and he could manipulate it to easily disarm any enemy.

This was why he had no problem with Amy, but had difficulty with Rouge, who's weapons were attatched to her own body. This would also explain why Alfador intimidated him the most of all his siblings…

Armic wasn't the perfect warrior, though. Despite having superlative range, speed, and skill, his attacks weren't very powerful, and his weapon was blunt, and not meant for one-hit kills as blades or guns were. Also, he was small, and possibly the frailest of all his kin, and he could only afford so many hits.

He regained his senses, and narrowly ducked a kick that would have surely crushed his skull, as he rolled away from it. The tree crackled, and fell to the ground, with a loud thud, making the field of flowers spew their petals into the air. Armic's head ached horribly, and he had been knocked a bit off his normal balance, but he managed to whirl his weapon, before locking it under his arm, in a defensive stance.

Rouge, not relenting for a second, attacked again, this being a mistake, as Armic had prepared. As soon as he saw the foot lift from the ground, he ducked under it, and swiftly caught her leg at it's joint with the staff, and he heaved upwards with all his might, causing her to do a full on backflip, as the limb was torn from under her. She somersaulted, and landed upon the ground, face first, with a resounding thud.

By this time, Armic knew the other would have recovered her weapon, so he dashed swiftly away from the floored, but still deadly bat, noting that keeping distance from her would be key in winning this battle. He also had to stay on the move, so as not to be taken surprise by the pink hedgehog.

He located her, dashing at him, hammer at the ready. He halted, and prepared. Surprisingly, she flung the weapon at him, and it whirled toward him, but, by some undeserved miracle, his reflex managed to shoot his staff up at just the right angle to deflect it, and again, the mallet soared through the air, far away from it's wielder. He saw Amy run to fetch it, and Rouge was still trying to get up. He had a moment to consider his next tactic.

He gave the battle some thought. He was being too defensive, he thought. He had to attack… but…

…He felt himself being held back by his emotions… his compassion… his greatest weakness. He froze, looking at the pain he'd inflicted, imagining the bruises he'd left, the bones he'd cracked… and he felt each and every blow, two-fold. He couldn't do it.

The thought of hurting somebody had never sat well with him… and, long ago, it had earned him the nickname 'Armic the Merciful'… He shook his head, seeming to be in a state of shock at what he was doing… he was no better than Armic the Murderer…

Before that thought could be completed, his weapon was kicked from his hand, and the rod made a whistling noise, as it soared through the air, and stuck in the ground far away, leaving him defenseless. Before he even knew what was going on, he was tripped, and had a white boot grinding against his skull threateningly…

"…You little…" She said, pressing with her boot harder, making Armic wail, as his skull threatened giving away under the pressure.

"Rouge, DON'T!" A familiar voice shouted, making the boot's intensity lessen a bit… The young one looked around, and spotted the pink hedgehog, whom set her weapon on the ground… the fight was over.

Rouge took her boot off his head, and stepped back. Armic pushed himself to his knees, looking up at her. Her anger faded when she saw the look in his eyes… The bat couldn't bare to look at them, and one could tell, by her turning her head and looking in a different direction.

"…You wouldn't have lost if you hadn't hesitated." She stated, simply, announcing her victory over them. Amy gave her a glare, but she only shrugged.

Amy knelt down next to Armic and looked him right in the eyes. He looked back, and seemed confused, almost scared. For a long moment none of them dared to break the silence. Armic's tiny hand rubbed his sore head, where he'd been kicked, and nearly crushed under a certain bat's feet. He might not have survived hadn't Amy stopped her.

"…Why won't you let me have peace…?" He said, voice wavering. Amy frowned, and, to both his, and Rouge's surprise, embraced the boy.

"Don't… don't be stupid… there's no peace in death… only finality." She told him. He looked up, eyes showing small, forming tears, that he was struggling to hold back.

"How can you know that…? Death… is eternal rest… is it not…?" He asked her. She shook her head.

Rouge, however, merely rolled her eyes, and folded her arms.

"Enough drama, kid… hand over the Chaos Emerald you have…" She told him. Before he could respond, Amy rose and gave the bat what was quite possibly the most intimidating look she'd ever given anyone.

"Save it, Rouge… You're my friend, and I respect you, but you can't call something like death 'dramatic'. There's nothing more final than death… this is a very serious matter… your jewel can wait." She said, bowling her over with her insight… It seemed like a new Amy emerged every time… every time she was needed. The bat, surprised at this behavior, backed down. Armic stood, shakily, and leaned on Amy a bit.

"…That… is true. Spoken like a true philosopher, madam Rose…" He told her. Amy still didn't know why he was sent to kill her, or how he knew her name… or who it was who sent him, but these questions could wait.

"My name is Amy. Just call me that… I can't stand formal titles, little Armic." She told him, speaking softly. He looked into her eyes and shook his head.

"Impossible, that would be rude… and besides, you've…" He trailed and knelt to the ground, having a head rush from standing up, and it hurt. "Urh… I've no right to even address you. You've won, and I have lost. And now… you must finish this." He told her. Amy looked angry and shook her head.

Amy, at that moment changed. She reverted from the caring, concerned Amy, to the demanding, stronger Amy, as this situation seemed to bring her out. She let out a deep sigh, and looked at him.

"…No, I refuse to kill you. I told you already, death isn't what you seek." She said to him, almost like a scolding mother, "Now, stop being so pathetic, and degrading yourself so much. I don't care what you _deserve_, you'll live, and you'll live…" Amy started, moving around him, making sure to look him right in the eyes. "…As one of the good guys." She told him, with a grin. He was silent, and he sat, looking at her, unable to do anything else.

"That's what you want, isn't it?" The pink hedgehog continued. Rouge grinned, glad to see the girl taking control of the situation so well. Again, Armic didn't speak… his desires seemed to fight with some sort self inferiority issues.

"…Ok. If you don't want to cooperate, then let me remind you, you **lost**… you're at our mercy." Amy started again, pointing at his staff, which was far out of his reach. "…And _I_ say… Until you come around to see that you're capable of good, and worthy… you're our hostage!" She announced, loudly, with a large, Amy-like grin. Armic's eyes shrunk and he sweatdropped, as did Rouge, neither knowing what to think.

"…You're taking me… prisoner…?" The boy asked, seeming a little freaked out, but this was a welcome change from his general despair. Amy winked, and nodded.

"That's right! And, as our prisoner, you have to obey ME! Got it?" She yelled, actually intimidating him a bit. Armic nodded, still a bit uneasy about the strange situation. Amy knelt again, leveling with him, and her face melted back to a grim seriousness.

"Ok… now, take us to the person who sent you to kill us." She ordered. His face made a terrorized look, and he shook his head, slowly.

"…I… I can't. He would…" He began fearing for more than his own life. Rouge grinned at him, and spoke in that normal, silky-sly voice of hers:

"I don't think it's _up _to you, prisoner." She informed him, seeming amused. Armic was taken off guard by that, and he looked at the ground, with nothing to respond with. He stumbled back to his feet, and looked at them…

A moment passed, and… surprisingly, he seemed to make some sort of inward revelation, as he let his face show a very care-free smile. "As you wish… my new Masters." He told them, with a formal bow.

End Chapter 

Man, am I evil, or what? Ok, this is the first REAL update published EXCLUSIVELY on You want me to continue? Well, for the love of Christ, REVIEW! I'm not joking, you guys… dangit, just DO it. Okay?

If you don't then I'm not giving you any story… so HAH. And yes… I know it seems like I can't live without writing… and you'd be right, I really can't. But I CAN work on a different project and leave this one alone, and UNFINISHED as long as necessary to keep you guys from thinking YOU'RE in charge here.

Now, since no chapter would be complete without a little bashing, I've written all my lovely privates, cadets, captains and generals of the DARK ARMY OF DESTRUCTION a little song…

This song goes out ESPECIALLY to the person who deleted my story on (sings in tune with Jingle Bells)

Jingle bells, BURN IN HELL, I'll kill you all fucking dayyyyy…. oh what fun, it is to say, "YOU'RE JUST SO FUCKING GAAAAAAAAAY!" Jingle die, wait till I, find you, you dickheaaad… You shall see, just how angry, I was when I Story removal, Miles 'Foxy' Prower! reason: I'm fucking SATAN! 

_Dear YiffyOne,….._

In tune with (Dashing through the Snow)

Miles 'foxy' is gone…

and I just banged yer mom…

Hope you have a FUCKED UP LIFE

Now beat it, little prong!

OHHHHHH!

Jingle PAIN, You shall be SLAIN, You're blood will STAIN the walllllllls….

(Acapulco) For this…grins You can bet…

I'll take a cheese grater to your BAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLS!

(audience of haters claps, and YiffyOne bows.)

Thank you , thank you… you're beautiful! Now, if you leave me a good review, I just MIGHT do something ELSE entertaining for ya, next chapter… but it aaaaaaaalllll depends on you. So get to reviewin', pal!

YiffyOne


	16. Chapter 16

Guess what folks, it's time for everyone's favorite show….

(it tune with the old Batman theme)

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na Miles Foxy!

(groupies) Foxyyyy!

That's right, I'm finally back… sorry if there was an excessive wait for storynessness… I just recently got Shadow the Hedgehog (the game), FINALLY. Yeah, it was… well, it was better than heroes, that's for sure… and the opening sequence ROCKED.

Anyway, I could blabber on about the game for about 53098 hours, but I know you're not here for that, so I'll skip straight to what you came to see…

(Kicks in it's tiny little balls) BITCH!

Heh, okay, seriously, you'll get more of that at the END of the chapter… look forward to it. For now, you get story…

Notice at no time will my toe nails sever my elbows.

Kay, here I go!

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 16: "Shattered Jewels, Fractured Hope…" 

"AAAAAAAAHHHHgh!" Came the agonized cry of the rusty gold hedgehog, as he took yet another painful blow.

Super Sonic didn't have his normal sparkle… his generally shimmering golden quills drooped, as he picked himself up again from the ground, mustering his powers to restore his encircling flames. The fire was noticeably diminished as well. He leaped into the air, his courage and will to fight still as strong as ever… despite the severe lack of hope.

He flew into the air angrily, and threw a flaming punch, which landed, surprisingly, chipping the Goliath emerald's armor. It stumbled back a bit, and Chaos Controlled his way behind the Earth's final hope, landing a hit of his own. A yelp ripped itself from Sonic's lungs as he flew into a car, denting the roof, and setting the alarm off. Their speed and ability to dodge seemed equal… despite Sonic's halved power… but now it was just a matter of size. Without his full power, he couldn't muster enough speed or strength to send the giant soaring, as he'd done before it cheated…

He got up from the car, and looked up at his foe, whom seemed to be waiting for him… The battered hero grimaced at the golem of emerald… He KNEW he cheated… He was the controller of the Chaos Emeralds… and when he was losing, Sonic's power was all the sudden cut in half… coincidence? I think not. The hedgehog found himself wishing the bad guys would play fair for once in a while… but after he gave it some thought, that would degenerate them from the category of 'bad guys' anyway…

"Man, my job sucks…" He said to himself, shaking his head, as he took off to face the Master Emerald Titan yet again.

Suddenly, however, Sonic's charge was halted… and he found himself gripping his stomach, as that familiar feeling of gut-churning weakness welled up again… it was this feeling that took his advantage away… He let out an unearthly grunt of frustration.

"G-Grahhhrrrr… D-dammit! Not agai…ag-..gain….!" He muttered helplessly. Suddenly he felt an unfamiliar pain, not like the one he'd felt before… like something was being ripped from within his body…

"Ahhhh… Agrr…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, as something within him broke free… the slow, agonizing pain ending with a swift, bullet like jolt of it, which literally zapped him from the sky, in a pink flash.

"_Wh- What is this….?"_ The Titan mumbled to itself…

Sonic sat on the ground, simmering… thinking the Titan had once again deviated from his bet in order to win…he was, however, too busy gripping his gut in a physical torment so unbearable, he felt as if it nearly drove him insane. After a long moment of lying there, hissing, the pain finally faded, and he just felt weak… even weaker than before. He looked at his stomach, swearing he felt something rip out of it, but there was no mark…

He stood up, and looked into the sky…

"Wh…What!" He shouted in disbelief at what he saw… his red irises dilated in surprise as his gaze rested upon…

The Pink Emerald.

There it was, floating just above him… Just floating there…

What did this mean…? Was he seeing things? It didn't make any sense… he looked at his body, and it was still pretty much golden, pretty much flaming… but, if he didn't have all seven emeralds, then how…

Before he could finish that thought, the most unbelievable thing imaginable happened….

_KRRRRRSHHHHHINNNNNG!_

Sonic audibly gasped… how could this be…?

"Wh… WHAT!" He shouted. Time seemed to slow down as the tiny little shards of the Emerald fell to the ground, lacking a certain glow that the Emeralds normally had…

A long moment passed… or was it so long? Time's mouth seemed to be agape as well, as it quietly speculated, unable to move on at the occurrence of such an event… Sonic knelt to the ground, not sure what to think, not sure what to feel… as he picked up a single purplish, glasslike piece of the former emerald. The shard shimmered once, then evaporated into the air, in a display of bright pink smoke.

Sonic's eyes trailed to the other shards, and they were all evaporating as well… Just what the hell was going on…!

Before Sonic could finish that thought, the Titan let out a malice filled laugh.

"…_Hahaha… So the servant is dead…? I never expected such a thing to happen… hahaha… Aile… How embarrassing! An immortal, defeated by a mortal! HAHAHAHA… Such failures are inexcusable!" _The giant muttered… Sonic looked up at him with rage. He didn't understand the situation, but he didn't like his tone…

"Alright… Tell me, just… what's going on here…?" Sonic demanded. He had really no idea what he was even asking, so he had no other way of wording it. The titan looked down at him.

"_It is no concern of a dead hedgehog."_ He retorted. Sonic was cool under the pressure of words, so it didn't phase him… in fact, he just grinned, floating into the air.

"Alright then… we'll just have to see abo-….Aggihk!" He snapped, flinching, as he fell back to the ground, the pain washing over him again…

"Aahhgh….AHHH! He cried, as yet another ripping sensation tore through his body. He panted for a moment, again, checking for a wound he'd SWEAR had to come with such pain, before jerking his neck to look above…

"…No way!" He said, eyes drooping… he felt even WEAKER… as his eyes looked upon the light blue emerald.

"_What! Airy as well…? This cannot be…?" _Muttered the Master Emerald Titan, as the Chaos Emerald shattered, and evaporated, just like the other one had… gone forever…

A long moment passed, and Sonic had no clue what to do or think… this was all too confusing, and he felt like not only half, but about 70 of his power had left him… He looked at his quills… they were now a paler yellow, rather than gold… and his fire was not much either. He looked at up at the titan… but that was the last thing that he did before his eyes clenched shut again.

"DAAMMMNNIIIT!" Sonic shrieked, as he jerked about on the ground, looking as if he were being torn apart, electrified, and having a seizure all at once.

This time the darker blue emerald floated from his body…

"Son of a B…Bitch!" He said, managing to sit up. The emerald shattered, and evaporated… and even more of SuperSonic's reservoir of power went with it…

Sonic finally collected enough energy, and stood up and shouted at the Titan, whom he believed was the cause of all the torment he was undergoing…

"You rotten… honorless BASTARD! You'd destroy your own servers just to win…!" He accused, pointing a finger at the giant. The titan shook his head, and stomped his mighty foot, causing a tremor that knocked Super Sonic on his back again.

"_Do NOT accuse me of such things, you foolish little rodent! My servers are dying by their OWN weakness!" _The Emerald at the giant's core growled.

Sonic didn't believe him at all, despite a present hostility that only comes from false accusation… Sonic wasn't Knuckles, after all… He fought baddies enough to know that 99 out of 100 times they were lying.

However, right now, Sonic was the one lying… down on the ground, that is. He struggled up, and his flames flickered faintly off of him when he summoned them. His quills were even paler now, and they didn't spike radically upward anymore. His scarlet eyes had faded to an orangish color. Nonetheless… as long as there was fight in him, nobody would lay a hand on the people of this planet. NOBODY.

…Despite his prayers that no such thing would happen, though, Sonic soon felt that belly-twisting pain again. He sat on the ground this time, grunting curses, as he gripped his stomach yet again.

"ahh… Ahhh! AHHHH! This…C-Can't be happening…!" He muttered. The pain wasn't as severe as before, as Sonic had already suffered it thrice, this making four times.

This time the red Chaos Emerald wrenched itself from one-ness with him and exploded into it's shards… disintegrating like the ones before it…

One of Sonic's eyes was glued shut now, in agony, as he staggered, yet again to his feet…

"_Why! WHY is this happening…!" _The Controller said in frustration. It proceeded to rend a few buildings asunder in it's anger…

Sonic felt more tired than he'd ever been before… and looking at his quills, which faded from pale yellow to greenish yellow, this would definitely be considered the most miserable time SUPER Sonic had faced…

Sonic screamed yet again, as he felt another Emerald leave him… and then ANOTHER….

It was all going by so fast… now he couldn't even keep track, as he felt dizzy, and helpless… he struggled to push himself from the ground… but ha failed. He fell, down for the count… looking ahead to see silver and green shards, steaming into nothing in front of him…. He was too disoriented to even notice that that was only 6… concluding that all the emeralds… they were gone.

…No, he could still fight… he could STILL fight…

"uhhg… gotta… get… up… c… c'mon you stupid legs…" The diminished hero uttered, weakly, fighting to get up… He could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away from him…

The only thing left fighting it was his will… He had to get up… he HAD to stop the Master Emerald! He couldn't let it destroy everything… he couldn't…

The fire on the hedgehog's back finally went out, and his quills finally reverted entirely back to blue…

Solid black.

------(many hours later)

_CRASH!_

"Argh!" A familiar doctor grunted, nearly being smashed under a pile of rubble. He fumed as he continued his search of the ruins of the obliterated city.

A walkie talkie hissed.

"Urrrhh…!" The infamous Eggman growled, as he rather cartoonishly fumbled with the device, before pressing the right button on it. "WHAT!" He shouted into it, as loud as he possibly could. The voice on the other end screamed, then got very angry.

"EEK! That's no way to talk to a lady, you mannerless mountain of lard!" Screamed Amy Rose, from the other side. The doctor visibly flinched, and immediately pressed the button to respond.

"Erh, Amy! What happened to Knuckles?" The astounded scientist asked.

A red boot with a white stripe tapped impatiently against the ground. The pink hedgehog grimaced, wishing somebody could invent long-distance pain to go along with the long-distance communications. She felt insulted by every word the doctor said.

"OH, he got tired of dealing with you, and I don't blame him! You're the one that STARTED this whole mess you disgusting BLOB!" She shrieked into the device…

Though, nobody could blame her for being upset… after all, it was 5 hours ago that Sonic the Hedgehog was publicly announced to be dead. Amy remembered how worried she was… how confused… and how angry she felt…

(Flashback)

"…Oh, I think I'm beginning to understand now…" Amy said, nodding, after hearing a brief explanation by Armic. Rouge still looked a bit skeptical, but she nodded as well, though still looking a bit pensive.

"Yes, well, there's much more to it than just that, but I'll explain that later, Ms. Rose." Said the little blonde boy, politely. Amy put her hands on her hips.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't like formal titles! Just call me Amy, okay?." She told him. He made an expression… either a frown in the disguise of a smile, or the other way around… she couldn't even tell.

"Oh, yes, forgive me, Amy… I've never been on casual terms with anybody, really." He explained, apologizing for the umpteenth time for no reason whatsoever. Amy only nodded, and grinned a little. He reminded her so much of Tails, when he was younger, bar the somewhat ancient dialect.

Rouge walked by them, looking a tad bored, as she folded her arms, and looked at them, an eyebrow raised. She looked a bit sassy, but in a more… Rouge sort of way.

"…Ok, so let me get this straight… You were sealed in the yellow Emerald a long time ago, in return for perpetual youth…?" She asked, seeming to strain a bit to believe such a folly. Armic nodded.

"Yes, to a certain extent. Rather I was chosen for it… Over the millinia, I and the power of the Emerald became one, thusly I became it's essence. I possess half of the Emerald's power…" He explained… however, he was cut off by Rouge.

"So, where's the actual Emerald?" She asked him. Before he could even speak, he was pushed out of the street, and onto the sidewalk. Being rather graceful, he didn't fall, but stumbled a bit.

"Get out of the way, all of you!" Shouted the young GUN soldier. Amy pulled out her mallet, ready to sock him one.

"How rude!" She shouted, charging at the man, the only thing separating him from sure harm being Rouge and Armic's restraining arms.

However, before even AMY could wallop anybody, the three of them found themselves being ordered around by a whole dozen of privates from GUN.

"What are you doing here! You should be evacuated like everyone else!" One shouted.

"This is a state of global urgency! The whole WORLD is in peril, and you're in the middle of the street!" Another scolded.

"Ok, just tell me what the hell's going on here…" Rouge said, flashing her official government ID.

The soldier instantly recognized a higher ranking officer, and saluted nervously… "Sir, yes Sir! erh, Ma'am!" He stammered…

(End Flashback)

The soldier explained everything to them… About the Titan, and about Super Sonic's defeat at it's hands… Rouge, using her connections to their fullest (as usual), helped Amy organize a search party to find Sonic's body… he was announced dead, but Amy knew in her heart…

She just knew Sonic was still out there, alive.

He'd NEVER leave her… She remembered back to the day when he promised her that… and she'd always hold him to it.

"Sonic the hedgehog… you BETTER not be dead, or I'm gonna make you suffer!"

Amy made sure to call up everyone, Knuckles, Tails, Cream, Chris… Rouge was out looking as well… Only Armic stayed with Amy.

After looking for a while, the party eventually turned up none other than Dr. Eggman, whom further explained the situation. Who knows what kept Amy from clobbering him… perhaps she figured she'd make him help find Sonic first. And that's exactly what she did.

The walkie talkie device buzzed a little, and Ivo Robotnik's voice met her ear.

"Are you SURE he's alive! You should have seen the size of my robot before it was possessed by th-.." Eggy was cut off quicker n' a blink, though.

"Of COURSE he's alive, you wide-loaded waste of blubber! No thanks to YOU, now keep looking!" She shouted back at him furiously. There was no response, so the pink hedgehog concluded that he FINALLY did as told.

Armic looked at her, seeming worried. Her face softened, and she looked him in the eyes.

"What's the matter, Armic?" She gently prodded. He smiled a little. Only a little.

"Well… I should've mentioned the endangerment of your blue friend sooner… not only that, but he was winning, up until I and my siblings left the emeralds…" He said, sadly. Amy looked thoughtful, then shook her head.

"Listen, it's alright… I don't fully understand the situation, but we can still win." She told him, grinning. He smiled back, but weakly, having high doubts of that.

"I don't know… And… From what I've seen, I've concluded that I am the only remaining Emerald Spirit… This is NOT good…" He mused. Amy cocked her head.

"Why not? If the Master Emerald sent you all out to assassinate us, then isn't that good?" She asked him. He shook his head, regret in his eyes.

"No, no, you've got it ALL wrong… You see, the Spirits of the Emeralds are bound to them and the Emeralds to the Spirits… if we are to lose our life, then the Chaos Emerald in which we correspond to…" He trailed. "…It will shatter, and cease to exist all together." He finished. Amy let out a little gasp, unable to believe that.

"You're kidding! So… the other six emeralds…?" She asked. He nodded.

"I'm afraid so. I can no longer feel their presence, and their targets still walk the Earth." He explained. Amy shook her head, in dismay. This was a bad turn of events… no Chaos Emeralds to take on the Master Emerald! What a dilemma!

"Oh… that's not good… darn… isn't their ANYTHING we can do?" She asked him, thinking one who once served the Emerald might know it's weaknesses… if it had any. Armic looked a little sad, and shook his head.

"If there is such a thing, then I know nothing of it." He stated, words grim and lacking hope. "There is much you do not know… but none of it would be of any use at the moment." He said. Amy frowned, and looked around the ruins of yet another torn-apart city… After a moment, she sighed, and looked at him.

"What IS the Master Emerald, anyway…?" She asked the boy. Armic looked glum, and stared at the ground, eyes narrowing, as if his very mind was consumed with dark thoughts…

"…It is not the Emerald which is evil, but the one within it… He is… a demon, sealed within, just as we are our Emeralds… His name… is _Bacillus_." Said the yellow emerald spirit… each word was tipped with deadly venom, of the type that made you feel sick, just at the grim way he was saying it.

That name… When Amy heard it, it was as if her heart imploded, and left a void, a cold void, chilling her very spine. The chills slithered up and down her back like a snake, making her back arch and her head feel a rush of dizziness. She hoped she'd never have to hear it again. A long moment passed, and neither dared to speak. Armic looked at the ground, and then at her.

"I'll… explain the rest… when we find Sonic. Everyone needs to know what's going on." He told her, smiling a bit. That seemed to brighten her up just a tad. She wasn't the only one who thought Sonic was still alive… good. It was nice to see him showing a little optimism for a change. She nodded to the handsome, ribboned boy.

"Yeah… maybe somebody will be able to figure something out…" She hoped aloud.

It was then that the walkie talkie crackled, and the Eggman's voice could be heard from it.

"Amy! You won't believe what I just found!" Shouted the doctor, gleefully.

-------+-

This was FANTASTIC! He couldn't believe his luck… He never thought he'd find what he was looking for! It was the first time he'd ever found anything searching on foot, without the aid of some device…

"Oh my God! You found Sonic! That's wonderful!" Amy said from the other side, through the portable GUN radio. Eggman looked down at the incapacitated hedgehog, and shrugged.

"Oh, yeah, that too… But the cool thing is, I found a Chaos Emerald! I shall rule the world!" The doctor cackled madly. Amy fumed on the other side.

"You sorry excuse for an egg McMuffin! How could anything be more important than MY Sonic?" She screamed, displaying her powerful lungs. This only reminded the good doctor that sound had force, as a strange wind produced by Amy's erupting voice blew his mustache from the walkie talkie. He stuck his finger in his ear, as he heard a ring in it.

"You know, you could probably just put the walkie talkie down right now if you're going to yell like that… I'm sure I could hear you just fine 30 miles away without it…" The mad scientist mused. Amy's expression on the other side was no doubt a pouty 'shut up' sort of look.

"Oh, put a sock in it, humpty dumpty! Now, tell me where you are, and more importantly, WHERE MY SONIC IS!" She shouted. Eggman folded his arms, tucking the yellow emerald away.

"Only if you promise to stop calling me names!" He said, rather immaturely. Amy was getting upset, as if she wasn't in the first place…

"Ok, just let me get it out of my system… TANKASS, FATSO, JUPITER BUTT, SIR GUTSALOT, KOOL-AID MASCOT WITH A MUSTACHE…"

"Ok, ok, ok! (sniff)" The doctor whimpered, cartoonishly crying waterfalls.

"Ah, suck it up, ya hard-boiled softy… Just tell me where Sonic is, and maybe, just MAYBE, I'll forget that I owe you a good pounding." She said, still a little irritable, but that was just how she was with people like Ivo.

Eggman looked around… Ok, torn up building, ripped apart highway, bent light pole, completely destroyed dodge viper, trash and rubble everywhere you look….

He then realized that this place was in SUCH a state of ruin, he had absolutely no idea what part of the city it was… he wasn't even sure WHICH city he was in anymore… He contemplated what to tell the hot-tempered pink time bomb.

"Uhhh… Amy, I don't know where this is…" He said, sweatdropping. Mistake…

"ARG, I THINK SOME OF THE LARD HAS SEEPED INTO YOUR BRAIN AND IS MAKING YOU STUPID! IF YOU DON'T USE THAT 'GENIUS MIND' OF YOURS TO LEAD ME TO MY SONIC RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO CLOBBER YOU ONCE FOR EACH POUND OF FAT ON YOUR BODY!" The girl screamed… in fact, this time it was SO loud, the little walkie talkie in Eggman's hand burst with a spark, making him flinch.

He cleaned his ears out, making sure they both still worked, and that neither was BLEEDING from exposure to such volumes. He shook his head… it was no wonder that Sonic was consistently fleeing from the girl…

"…If she could use that mouth of hers as a weapon, then we'd have no PROBLEM beating the Master Emerald…" He muttered to himself, with a shrug.

He glanced at the hedgehog at his feet… he looked pretty messed up. Eggman felt strange…

He'd never seen Sonic in such a weakened state before… if he HAD in the past, he'd have taken advantage of it. His arch nemesis… lying helpless below him. He began to consider destroying his long time enemy… despite his previous promises… he was, after all, the 'merciless' Eggman, wasn't he?

The doctor slowly, hesitantly revealed the compact, high-tech plasma pistol at his side, and drew it. The clever weapon applied the theory of using the heat expelled by a high grade plasma… Using his advanced technological facilities, a combination of chaos energy ( in the past ), and cold fusion, he'd created many weapons like this, by using the large amounts of energy to remove electrons from the atoms of elements with high atomic masses… most of which he'd created himself. The result product, when properly contained in a magnetic field, could radiate a condensed, concentrated heat blast, rivaling the temperature of a super nova. He reserved such elite arms for himself, though...

(and no, I didn't make any of that up, it's real science. And yes, it's truly possible… in fact, it's already a used method in most nuclear power plants, as a form of heating water to create steam to produce electricity. I suspect that the American government are also hiding such weapons… but I've got no proof, so don't sue me or put me in jail or anything!)

The evil doctor lacked a certain malice as he directed his aim at the hedgehog below him… that pesky hedgehog…

If he wanted to, right now, he could end any future rivalry with the rodent… any meddling, any foiling of his schemes for world domination… with just the pull of that trigger. Just a pull…

Time passed, and Eggman's hand shook a bit. His face hardened, and his body tensed… the hand still shook, the pistol rattling…

After who knows how much time passed, the infamous Robotnik finally jerked the pistol away, and put it back where it was, in a hidden holster on his husky thigh.

"…I can't do it…" The doctor stated, sulking. He couldn't believe it… he, the evil genius, a man who wanted the world and everything in it for his own… was feeling compassion? This was unacceptable!

He raised his gloved hand up, and rested them on his shades. In a rare occurrence, he removed them, letting them rest on his forehead, displaying his beady, black eyes. He looked at Sonic once, then sat down on a fallen structure, which he couldn't really identify… but it was horizontal enough to sit on.

"…Stupid hedgehog." He said, pulling out a flare.

End Chapter 

I finished this one a little earlier than I'd intended, since I've kept you guys waiting so long for an update…

Anyway, yeah, I'm trying to speed things up just a tad (a lot?) so I can get to what I KNOW you ALL are probably DYING for… yeah, romance. ;

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter… And don't you worry! The Chaos Emeralds (most of them anyway) may be gone, but there's still hope! Sonic will have his time to TRULY shine, as he always does. Everyone will contribute significantly to the fight to take down the Master Emerald Titan… how will they do it…? And what's the story behind Armic, Bacillus, the Chaos Troupe, and all of that jazz…? You'll find out soon enough what plot twists, turns, and loop-de-loops I've got going through my creativity roller coaster of a brain next chapter. The weekend's close, so it shouldn't be too long.

Thanks for all your great reviews, guys, keep it up! I only wish you'd all sign in so I could thank you for the fantastic reviews you leave me! -

Anyway… as promised, here it is, the most important meal of the day…. BASHING!

Ahem.

(in tune with the meow mix song)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh…..

Die die die die

Die die die die

Die die die die die die die die!

You are SO shall soon be in a casket

And when I have

danced on your corpse,

I will sell you to gay man-whores

And when that's done

I'll have MORE fun

Slaughtering all of your loved ones

Just you wait pal

you'll see just how

Fucking pissed off I am right now

Lalalala DIE! DIE! DIE!

(receives a standing ovation, and he bows as roses are sent flying his way.) Thank you thank you, you're too kind… Ok, that's all the hatin' for now, please review, you guys. I wouldn't pressure you about it so much if I didn't know it works -

(by the way, to any of those people just LOOKING for a story to report and request the removal of just because they're little fuckers, I'll tell you right here that any violent threats mentioned here are sheerly for humorous purposes, and I do not intend to harm anybody. I'm just blowing off steam… and if this site removes my story, I'll move on to another, and say similar things about IT as well… you don't want that now, DO you Yeah, it's best to stay on my good side… wise choice - )


	17. Chapter 17

Fuck, ok, as promised, here's the edited chapter. It's VERY different… well, only one part. Ok, if you want to go straight to the part that's been changed, then go to the part with Chris and Cream… and you shall see what it is I screwed up on. Yeah yeah, don't nag me, you assholes! I know, but we all make mistakes, right? Yeah, EVEN me. ;

Anyway, nothing's really changed except for the part I mentioned… but it's changed DRASTICALLY, so you'd better read it if you don't wanna be lost!

…Oh, and if this is your first time reading chapter 17, you've the joy of reading the non-fucked up version. Enjoy it!

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 17: "The Calling" 

It made him a bit uneasy… knowing that _he_ was partially to blame for the prime example of utter destruction that lay before his eyes…

Well, eye.

Knuckles the Echidna adjusted the thick black bandana, slanted so it was covering his eye, tightening the knot at the back. He didn't like the idea of an eye patch, or walking around with one of his eyes sealed shut all the time, so this would have to do.

There was a patch underneath the garment, but it wasn't visible. He scratched at it a little.

"I told you to stop that." Came a smooth, though scolding voice. He looked in that direction, blinking once.

"It itches…" He told her, his voice not whiney, but a bit frustrated. Rouge put her hands on her well-endowed hips, doing that stance she does.

"It'll only itch more if you scratch at it… now quit it, it'll get irritated and swell up." She said, pushing his gloved hand aside with her own. He crossed his arms, and blinked once at her. She grinned slyly, and winked at the echidna.

"Hey, was that a wink or a blink, I can't tell anymore!" she teased him. He smiled inwardly, but didn't let it show.

"Heh. As if I'd wink at the girl after my Emerald…" He said, seeming a bit serious. The time spent around the bat was… interesting for him, but he never let his guard down in that area. After all, she was a sly one. She got angry, and huffed at him.

"Hmph! Well, if you'd have let ME steal MY emerald, I'm sure we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!" She shot back. He grit his teeth, and was about to jump into the argument head first (as usual), when he realized…

His look faded from one of anger and into a pensive one. He looked at the sky, and a moment passed. Rouge just looked at him, amazed they hadn't thrown any attacks at each other yet. What was up with him…?

He shook his head, and sighed a little. He seemed calm, and peaceful, but also a tad regretful.

"…Bah, you're right, Rouge." He told her, sitting on a pile of rubble. She looked at the red guardian, not really knowing what to feel. After all, those are three words she NEVER thought she'd hear out of HIM.

"I… am?" She said, revealing that she'd stated it only for argumentative purposes. He didn't move his head, but his navy, almost purple eye trailed up to meet her.

"…It's all my fault this is happening. People are dying because I failed to keep the Master Emerald out of the hands of evil. Now I'm powerless to stop it…" He told her, shaking his head in spite of himself. She was starting to see why he was acting so strange, and she folded her arms and tapped her foot.

"It's in the past." She told him. "Don't get pathetic about it, that's not going to help anybody!" She said, turning her nose up in that disdainful way she does. She was doing this for his own good, though. She knew not to humor a lamenting person, or they'd just get even more pathetic. You had to be straight-up with them, even if they got upset or mad at you.

Knuckles looked at the bat, his expression a mixture of thought, bewilderment, and calmness. Rouge was a complicated lady. He could never bring himself to understand her… but he had to admit, it was rather fun to try sometimes. He, to her surprise, grinned a little bit. Rouge looked at him for a moment, then grinned back, in that sly way she does.

"What're you smirkin' at, Knucklehead?" She teased, her smile showing that it was all in the interest of indirectly hitting on him. He shook his head, and blinked, before turning to walk away, continuing the search. He turned around again, though, and looked at her, with a smile.

"THAT was a wink." He said, before he went on his merry way, proceeding to try and locate the blue hero.

Rouge watched him walk away, before following, eyes narrowed in a rare look of significant interest. Especially rare considering it wasn't jewels she had her eye on this time…

"Hey Rouge, look at that!" Shouted the guardian, suddenly, as he pointed to the sky. She snapped herself out of the pleasant little moment she was having, and ran to his side, looking up in the direction he was pointing.

She noticed that his sense of direction was a little off, as the flare in the sky was slightly to the left of where he was pointing. Poor guy, she thought, he still wasn't used to the decreased depth perception of only having one eye. She remembered to earlier in the day, when they'd met up, and she first saw it. She was a bit shocked.

(flashback)

"Ouch…" The Echidna grunted as she tried to adjust the accursed bandana.

"Oh, shush! Hold still, I've almost got it…" She said, wrestling with the garment. He complied by moving around even more, doing the exact opposite as directed, which seemed to be a natural reaction in males when told to do something.

"Urk! Rouge, I told you, it's FINE!" He told her, trying to remove it. She kicked him in the kidneys in response, effectively making him behave, after a yelp and a few curses.

"…It's NOT fine. You've got to cover it…rrr… up with something, or you'll just look like a perpetually winking…rhhhg, doofus!" She said, finally securing the band around his head, and over his eye. She stood back and looked at him triumphantly. He blushed a little bit.

"I feel stupid…" He said, scratching at the patch beneath the cloth. She grabbed his hand and waved a finger.

"Don't do that. And you look fine! If I had the hots for one-eyed numbskulled echidnas, you'd be on the top of the list!" She said, actually trying to be nice, not really realizing how MEAN that statement was. Knuckles chuckled though, thinking that was kind of funny. He looked into a mirror. He looked kind of like a war veteran, and it really wasn't as goofy looking as he thought it'd be.

"I just KNOW Sonic's going to think up every distasteful 'one-eye' nickname under the sun when he sees me like this." He said to her. She grinned.

"Don't worry about him… just do what I do." She told him. Knuckles decided he was in a good enough mood to make a snide comment.

"What, everybody?" He remarked, earning himself a slap to the head from the bat, halfway playful, halfway pissed. She smiled, in the 'wanna play hardball? I'm game' sort of way, and he rubbed the spot, laughing. He'd actually expected a kick to the face, but he was happy to get off with just that.

"No, you pervert, this!" She said, sticking one of her legs in front of her, in somewhat of an attractive pose. Knuckles, denial aside, wished he could have seen that with BOTH of his eyes…

He looked at the leg, trying to hide an obvious interest. He looked back up at her face. "Show him some thigh? And you call ME a pervert…" Knux stated, getting another bonk to the noggin'. This one was a little harder, and he actually said 'ow' this time.

"NO… I mean trip him up when he runs by… you should see it, it's HILARIOUS… I did it to him just a couple of days ago and…" Rouge trailed, making an irritated face at the echidna, whom wasn't paying a bit of attention. "Knuckles, stop looking at my legs…" She told him, a vein popping out of her head.

The echidna averted his eye, and folded his arms, sweatdropping. "Uh, erh, what? I WASN'T!" he claimed.

"Sure…" She said, rolling her aquamarines, taking her exit from the GUN medical tent she'd requested for aiding the echidna. She lowered her wings to cover her hind quarters as she walked away. Knuckles felt insulted.

"Hey! You don't REALLY think I'm looking there, do you?" He called to her. She turned around, shooting knives at him with her eyes.

"You NOTICED, didn't you!" she retorted. The echidna would've responded, but realized that she had him there… despite his brain's clamoring denial.

"Oh man, checkmate." He said to himself under his breath.

(end flashback)

Rouge looked at Knuckles.

"You think it's one of ours?" She asked him. He pointed again, and she turned her head.

The flare in the sky burst, painting the cerulean with a freaky flaming smiley face with a mustache sticking out… Eggman's insignia.

"Huh… So the good Doctor's found something, eh… hope it's not Sonic." She said, shaking her head.

Knuckles folded his arms, nodding.

"Well, we're not accomplishing anything by standing here… let's go!" Said the scarlet fighter, leaping, and taking to the sky in a swift, smooth glide. Rouge jumped and followed in suit.

--+

_VrooVRROOOOOON…._

Sounded a GUN class military battle cycle, which chugged loudly, covering up all noise around it. The irritated rock star took the key out of the ignition to shut it up.

"My god, this thing's so LOUD…" Chris said, putting the kickstand down, grimacing at the vehicle. The boy greatly missed his Glimmerbolt… but everything was too hectic right now to have it repaired, even WITH the factuality that he was a famous rock star.

"Ohhhh, my ears…." Cream whimpered, wrapping the sensitive appendages around her head, tightly. She released them once the noise ended, looking a tad relieved. She sniffled a little. Chris frowned.

The poor girl was miserable. She, like him, hadn't slept in about a day, with all the commotion… then she had to deal with worrying about him, what with the damage Alastor inflicted (which only consisted of a few bruises and a cracked rib, which was tied with a bandage), Sonic was supposedly dead now, Tails refused to help look for him, and went out to search on his own, and on top of ALL that, she still had that awful cold!

She just looked at him, then at the ground, as if his wasn't the face she'd been hoping to see. Even Cheese slumped a bit, seeming just as down as his best friend.

Chris opened his mouth, but no words would come out. He felt so bad for her. He'd never be able to imagine how stressed the bunnygirl must have been. On top of everything, she seemed to get the most upset when they called Tails, and he wouldn't come with them. He recalled the exact conversation…

(Flashback)

"Wow, I can't believe this… it's like some kind of bad dream…" The young rocker spoke, looking upon the ruins of the city in awe. Cream's bell jingled, as she looked left and right, before rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

"This isn't happening… Did Sonic really have to fight the thing… that did all this?" She worded, ears drooping even more-so than normal. She was obviously fearing for the hedgehog's well-being even more than he was. Then again, Chris had always thought of Sonic as… invincible. He was quite confident that he was alright, or at least that's what his heart told him. But he was worried about Cream. After a moment, his frown evolved into a little bit of a sad smile, as he thought of something that might cheer the girl up a bit.

"You know… I have Tails's cell number on my phone, Cream, if you want, we could call him and ask him to meet us, and then we could all look for Sonic together!" He offered, holding out said device. She, just as he'd thought, immediately brightened up a bit, if only a little bit.

"Sniff Yeah… that sounds like a good idea…" She muttered, more to herself than to him, as she flipped open the phone, and dialed the number, ignoring his list, as she obviously knew it by heart.

Chris could only grin as she saw the odd way she held it as it ringed. It was adorable, one would have to admit. She held it at her mouth, looking at the screen. Her ears were large, and doubtlessly keen enough to hear the voices that came from the object, without need to hold It up to one of them, as any other person would. All of the Sonic gang held phones in rather humorous ways, being that they had differently placed ears than humans did, but Cream's was by far the funniest. Or in _his _mind, the cutest. She glanced at him, and smiled a little.

Needless to say, she wanted to see the fox-boy with even more intensity than per usual, since she needed SOMETHING to calm her nerves, and hopefully take her mind off things, if only a bit. Tails didn't generally pay much attention to her, as mentioned before… but she liked him enough to firmly deny the thought that this meant he didn't like her, and concluded that he was just shy. She took a moment to appreciate Chris for his idea. Only a moment.

Chris smiled, glad for her. But just for her. He, on the other hand, sacrificed her attention for her happiness, a sign of true care. He didn't like the idea of Tails coming along with them… when the three came together, normally Chris was the fifth wheel… Well, Tails actually talked to him, but oddly enough, ignored Cream as much as possible. Cream did the exact same thing to Chris, ignoring him, paying attention only to Tails. Chris would usually just reflected what Tails said to give the fox feedback, as he emptily puzzled as to why he was even there in the first place.

In short, three, for him, would be a crowd. But, whatever made the bell-wearing rabbit happy was vastly more important than his little 'jealousy' issue. He never was the type to be jealous… he still wasn't, so, whenever he encountered the emotion, he just became perplexed, anxious, and inward.

The phone ringed several times, before the kit's voice came.

"Chris, what is it, have you found Sonic?" He asked, his tone a hasty, strictly business one. Tails was always like that… he never answered with a simple 'hello', at least not with calls he could identify, which was most of them. She giggled a little bit.

"No, silly, it's Cream… I'm using Chris's cell…" She said, trailing, before looking a bit sad. "…And no, we haven't found him yet…"

Tails was silent for a moment on the other line.

"Oh, ok… So, why're you calling? Something the matter?" He asked. She knew Tails, he was always like that, to the point… but still, even in a situation like this, she couldn't help but feel as if he didn't care to speak to her from that.

"Well… Chris and I were just… um sniff wondering, if you'd like to… you know… help us search? Three heads are better than one, right?" She asked him, seeming a tad embarrassed, as if awaiting rejection. She frowned though a pale blush. The fox boy's voice came in small, unclear stutters.

"Uhm… oh, well… I… Cream, I erh-can't…" He came. Chris's heart plummeted in his chest as he saw her face melt into one of despair… She was quiet for a moment.

"W-…Why not…?" She asked, voice a bit wavery.

"…I just… I have to look by myself… because… I just do, Ok? I'm… I'm sorry Cream, It's… too much of an inconvenience to me right now… call back if you find him, alright?" The genius's stammering words came, as he seemed to be unsure of how to put it. Cream tried hard not to cry… and hung up.

(End Flashback)

She, of course, cried. She was an extremely sensitive girl, after all. The rejection seemed to really crush her… Chris simply didn't understand why Tails avoided her so. He'd probably give anything to have a girl like her actually like him… the way she liked the two-tailed fox.

He, honestly, hadn't expected the foxboy to turn them down. Usually, Tails didn't mind spending time with them. He always dodged Cream's looks, and such, but he didn't seem to mind just being in her presence. At least not most of the time.

The rocker frowned, and looked at her. She just stared glumly off into the distance. No matter how he tried, he simply couldn't figure out what the bunny saw in him. Well, yeah, he thought the fox was a great guy and all, but how could she go on liking him after all the stress he'd put her heart through? She was always excited about seeing Tails, but she never seemed to get any of that happiness she sought in him… she always ended up frowning, wondering what she was doing wrong, why he tried so hard never to look her straight in the eye…

It was amazing that the musician hadn't drawn any hatred toward Tails in the respects of all the times he saw the girl's face fade to disappointment because of something he said, or did… or more rather, didn't say, or didn't do. All of the girl's affections were going to waste… but Chris… he couldn't let envy or greed get in the way of his friendship with Tails, he just couldn't. No, literally, the boy lacked the capacity.

"I don't wanna ride that thing, Chris…" The girl said, pointing at the wretched vehicle. Chris looked down upon it, and sighed deeply.

"Yeah, I don't either… Somebody needs to tell GUN that engines are designed to make a bike move, not bust people's eardrums…" The boy said, unlatching his axe from the side of it.

He secured the belt in which the instrument was attached to around his chest, letting it hang at his back. He grunted a little, as the weight put pressure on his injury. That… wouldn't work.

"Be careful!" She said, her face drawing concern. She, no matter how upset, indifferent, or sour her attitude may be, never failed to show compassion and sympathy toward the injured. She held her gloved paws out, as if to catch him, were he to somehow collapse. He waved her off, dismissing it as nothing.

"Gahh… no, I'm… nggh… ok…" He said, adjusting the guitar at his waist, tightening the belt, to where it would stay. "…There, that's better…" He said, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

Cream let out a breath of relief, then sneezed.

"…Why did you take that off of the motorcycle anyway…?" She asked after a moment, through a handkerchief. The mildly battered rock star looked at her, eyes as blue as the ocean. He folded his arms.

"Because we're not taking it!" He said, as if it should be obvious. She frowned, and shook her head.

"No… You're injured, we can't just _walk_ around, just because that thing hurts my ears…" She said, as usual, putting all others before herself. Chris made a note to immediately disagree.

"Yes, yes we can… I told you, I'm fine… Besides, I don't want to ride it, either… and I'm certainly not letting _you _do it. You're sick already, we don't need you getting worse, riding around on this… thing, no wind-resistant material, or _anything_." He said. She pouted, and, before she could even think of retorting, her illness confirmed his point, as she coughed lightly into her glove.

Chris was about to say something, but he was cut off by a high-pitched, chao-like voice.

"Chow! Chow Chowwwwww!" The winged being exclaimed, pointing at the sky.

"Do you see something, Cheese…?" The bunny girl asked him, as she looked in that direction. Chris looked that way as well, and the answer to the question was confirmed as their eyes locked with the light in the sky.

"Wow, where do you think that came from…?" Chris asked nobody in particular.

"What kind of rocket is that… it doesn't look like any fireworks I've seen before…" Cream said. Chris couldn't help but grin, she probably had never seen one of those before, and it was sort of cute.

"I think that's a flare, Cream…" He said. She didn't answer, but gazed up at it, wondering if it would ever stop, or go back to the ground…

But after a mere moment, the two gasped, as they watched the object explode into a dazzling light, which cleared to show the Eggman insignia, etched into the clouds.

"Oh…? That looks like the pictures on Dr. Eggman's robots…" The bunny girl stated, seeming a bit uneasy.

"I'm pretty sure it is… I think Eggman's found something… but this could only mean trouble… I think we'd better check it out." Chris said, immediately overtaken by his curiousity, adventurous side, and intuition. He looked at Cream, as if for her acknowledgement. She nodded a bit.

The three began walking (Cheese, of course, flying) in that direction, leaving the GUN motorcycle behind. Fortunately for them, it wasn't that far away, anyway…

--+

(A/N: Just to inform you, all of these scenes are happening at once, but from a different point of view… so this next one with Tails will trace the same time passage as the one you just read, from his POV)

"Hmmm… What to do…" The fox-boy muttered to himself, as he gently rubbed his forehead, trying to coax the gears within his noggin to turn.

The poor fox was at an unbelievably inconvenient dilemma, here… SO inconvenient, that it was taking all of his brainpower, every single quotient of his intelligence to think of a way to avert it, and so far, he'd come up with nothing.

"Oh man… what a crisis…" He said, beginning to suffer from a minor headache. It seemed like that brain of his would never work when he _really_ needed it. On top of that, he had so many other things circling around annoyingly within that skull of his… it was sufficiently clogging his focus.

Tails was informed by Amy, the news, Rouge, and various soldiers of what was going on… luckily for him, he'd only had contact with Amy and Rouge's voice, since he wasn't at his workshop when they'd gone to find him. Tails was a bit absent-minded at times, but he always took account of his own situation.

The moment he'd heard Amy's voice on his cell phone, he'd recalled his…. aromatic… predicament. He was worried about Sonic… REALLY worried… in fact, to him, it wouldn't be going too far to say he was almost as worried as Amy.

But he had multiple reasons for searching for the hedgehog solo. First off, were he to come in contact with ANY females whatsoever… He shook his head, not wanting to think about it.

Were he to… distract Rouge, Amy or Cream, whom were all probably out there looking feverishly as well… well, that would cut off part of the search, and next thing you know, Sonic's life is in danger… if he still WAS alive.

The fox shuddered, as he considered how upset the others must be with him already…

…Especially Cream.

His look of pure stress faded into the most melancholy, self-hating look you could imagine. He, in short, felt like an utter and complete heel… and he didn't like it one bit. The poor girl… he remembered how upset her cheerful voice became when he declined her offer… it was almost like he could feel her tender heart crushing beneath his foot.

(Flashback)

Tails's cerulean eyes traced every inch of the city, analyzing it for any trace of blue. He didn't understand… having the altitude of the Typhoon on his side, he should've been able to spot the heroic hedgehog by now.

His chaos readings were his first thoughts at locating the hedgehog… since he had the emeralds… supposedly. But the radical spikes of energy emanating from the Master Emerald were disrupting the device too much for it to be of any use. Heat sensors wouldn't work, either… at the hands of the destruction the Titan had brought upon it, all the ruins of the cities were smoldering, and hot.

The two-tailed pilot had to resort to using his eyes… but he still hadn't turned up any results.

Suddenly the boy jumped in his seat, startled as he heard a familiar diddy ring out from his plane's storage compartment. (I imagine the ring tune as a cell-phone version of Tails's theme, though I don't care for it, it would sound cool on a cell phone)

He sighed in relief, and lowered his altitude… he couldn't talk on the phone and fly a plane at the same time… well, he probably could, but he never took such risks. Fortunately for him, there was a half of a helicopter-pad clearing atop a building, just large enough for the Typhoon.

In a matter of seconds, he'd skillfully parked the plane perfectly on the spot, and withdrew his cell-phone, taking a moment to see who it was on his Caller ID.

Now, Tails didn't own a single piece of technology that he hadn't customized at least a little bit, not even his toaster was the same as when he'd gotten it. The boy loved to tinker with things, see how they work, then make them better. With his phone, he'd improved upon the ID, among other things…

Even if someone called under unknown, the ID had the ability to decipher and trace it, revealing who it was. Not only were the caller, and the number they were calling from show, but the nifty little device could usually give him their location as well. And that didn't pertain to just addresses, but a satellite he'd launched a while back, which orbited the Earth, harmlessly, and undetected, gave him the ability to know exactly where any call, even one from a moving cell phone on the other side of the planet, came from.

He read the data on it as it rung again. He saw that it was Chris's cell, and picked up, hoping he'd found something.

"Chris, what is it, have you found Sonic?" He asked, crossing his fingers. As the voice on the other line let out a high-pitched titter, revealing it was CERTAINLY not the punk rocker, Tails nearly jumped out of his fur.

"No, silly, it's Cream… I'm using Chris's cell…" Revealed the voice. The super-intelligent fox would've been able to figure that out in a heartbeat, but, nevertheless, wasn't expecting it. She wasted no time in answering his question when he didn't respond. "…And no, we haven't found him yet…"

Tails took a brief moment to gather himself, until his heart slowed down to a fairly normal rate. Nothing else to say, considering he found himself at a loss of words at so much as the thought of the girl, he questioned the purpose of the call.

"Oh… Ok, so, why're you calling? Something the matter?" He prodded, gently. He felt at the most bizarre combination of emotions at the sound of the rabbit's voice… it soothed him, and yet, at the same time, in a certain respect, made him uneasy. She took a moment, before a rather bashful reply met his ears.

"Well… Chris and I were just… um sniff wondering, if you'd like to… you know… help us search? Three heads are better than one, right?" She asked him, generating a shocked look on the boy's face.

…In any other circumstance he'd have gladly accepted… but… Now wasn't a good time for her nose to come in contact with his scent… it would generate an inconceivable amount of inconveniences… for her, for him, for everybody. He also found himself a bit scared, actually imagining the thought of her doing the things that Rouge, and Amy did.

Little did he know, it wasn't Cream he was afraid of, but he was actually in fear of his own feelings.

Nevertheless, his better judgement found itself agreeing with his cold feet, and he knew he'd have to think of a way to turn the offer down, without hurting her feelings…

"Uhm… oh, well… I… Cream, I erh-can't…" Came his loose, sparsely understandable stuttering. He flinched, as his heart felt as if something had pierced it… it was almost like he could _feel _exactly what she was feeling at that moment.

"_Oh yeah… smooth…"_ The fox scolded himself inwardly. He hoped with all his heart that she'd understand, and not be as hurt as he dreaded she might be. A long, torturous moment passed with no answer.

"W-… Why not…?" She asked, weekly. The boy cringed at her tone… which was weak and wavery… it was as if the cheerfulness had been zapped right out of it. He sighed, searching his head for some way to make it seem like more of an… inability, rather than rejection.

"…I just… I have to look by myself… because… I just do, Ok? I'm… I'm sorry Cream, It's… too much of an inconvenience to me right now… call back if you find him, alright?" He uttered, in an absolute failure of a soothing voice. He waited for her answer… he waited…

_CLICK._

His eyes shrunk… She hung up on him.

(End flashback)

The memory ever intensified his regret. He felt like the most cold-hearted villain in the world.

His mind began a poor attempt to cheer him up, making up empty excuses, suggesting that it wasn't his fault, though it was entirely.

"…_Maybe I should've told her why I can't go near her…" _He thought to himself. He shook his head. _ "Yeah, like she'd believe me… She probably hates me now… who can blame her…?" _ The boy thought to himself.

The worst part of all this was, eventually, somebody was GOING to find Sonic, and they'd expect him to be there… there with everyone else… Amy, Rouge… Cream.

The fur on the back of his neck rose as the vary thought of all three girls… _teaming up_ on him… and right in front of their love-interests, no less. No matter how he looked at it, he simply couldn't draw a happy, or at least painless ending to the scenario.

Suddenly, his train of thought was severed by a light, which shot up from the ground a few miles away, and seemed to claw at the sky…

"A flare…" He thought. His mind told him many things… but his heart told him that was exactly where Sonic was.

As he saw the Eggman insignia light up the sky, he stood up, wary… then, after a long moment, he grinned. A shallow grin, but a grin nonetheless. He finally concluded that the situation wasn't totally hopeless, as he got an idea, hopping into his plane.

…He knew what he had to do.

--------+

In the darkest part of the world lay the ebony hedgehog… cloaked deeply in a vast crimson hood… hidden in the shadows of the world.

Being a Vampire wasn't all it was cracked up to be… the immortality and rejuvenation of wounds, the powers… they were offset by this.

With each daylight came another life-or-death situation. And the Titan was destroying many good sources of shelter from the sunlight… so it was even _harder_ to remain hidden from the accursed star. He had to eclipse dash a lot, his only means of getting through the sunlight unharmed. He was quite exhausted from all of it… But, suffer long, and it will set you free. Only through trial do we find the strength we need… it's never over… just another day. Through hope, and tragedy, and everything that comes our way...(from 'All Hail Shadow', in Shadow the Hedgehog) He was quite invigorated by all of this.

Still, it got him wishing he could stroll, no daylight to hold him back. His life, since 4 years ago, had been a shady one. It had to be. He had no shadow to protect him on the other side… so he had no choice but to find other means of shade.

Suddenly a light burst, from behind him. He turned about, silently, to investigate, making sure to hug the halved building he was next to (the tallest he could find around, though). He looked up, and saw the flame rocket into the air. It flew up, silently, before exploding, into… an Eggman-like shape. It was one of the doctor's, Shadow instantly knew.

It was extremely close by…

The cloaked, raven vamp considered his options… but the fact was, there was no contest between his rational side, and his bored, curious side. He grinned, baring a pointy fang. He finally realized something he had in common with Sonic.

Sonic… The Master Emerald Titan was still roaming, and Shadow, despite wishing to admit it to himself, realized that meant the hedgehog had been defeated. He shook his head, hoping that the blue one was alright.

Without another thought, his image became disoriented, and his body was covered in the void of black, as he flew in that direction, at near light speeds…

--+ (it's just so fun to write about vampy Shadow!)

Amy fumed, pacing about in an obvious anger, as Armic watched her uneasily. He wished he could find a way to calm the girl down. Seeing somebody so kind this… out of character made him a tad upset. Ever since Eggman's walkie talkie was apparently destroyed, this confirmed by the static-covered noise she heard on that particular frequency, she had been thrashing about.

"That fat egg! I'll scramble im'!" The girl said, pounding an already rubble-ized piece of what was once a sidewalk with her toy-like hammer. With a 'peenk' noise, it was violently reduced to dust.

"…I'm glad you never managed to hit me with that thing… it's more dangerous than it looks." Armic stated. Amy looked at him, realizing she was scaring him a bit. They'd let the boy have his staff back, taking his word that he'd not use it to betray them. She believed him… he didn't seem the type to tell a lie.

"…It's called the Piko Piko Hammer." Amy said, smiling a little. Armic gave her a cute little grin.

"Because of the sound it makes?" He said. She nodded.

"You're pretty clever. Most people just think it's a name… they never really connect the facts like that." She told him. He rubbed the back of his head, modestly.

"Back in the day, I was notorious for being preposterously coherent." He told her, with a little smile. "Honestly, I'd rather be more whimsical, and free spirited, like you, Amy."

She almost awed. It was a very sweet thing to say… he made her attributes, which most people considered drawbacks, seem like more redeeming qualities.

"Well, that's very nice of you to say. Sometimes, though, I wish I was more like you. Maybe then people would take me a bit more seriously… Like Sonic." She said, looking at the ground. It wasn't like her to say something so sulky. Armic frowned. He then smiled, trying to infect her with it.

"Hey, don't worry. Near-death experiences have a tendency to make people realize the things they've taken for granted… the blue one will doubtlessly notice you, now." he said to his role model, spreading his arms for emphasis. Amy giggled. He was just adorable. She'd never seen such a young face talk in such a manner before, and he seemed to be trying a little optimism for a change.

"Hehehe… thanks, you're sweet. But he's got a name, you know." She told him. He rubbed his head.

"Right, Sonic…" The yellow emerald spirit corrected himself. Amy tittered again. He seemed almost like an adult in a child's body. He looked at her, and laughed as well, happy to have somebody he could truly admire… something he'd been deprived of for 2000 years.

A moment passed, and it was a bit uneasy for Amy, as Sonic was hard on her mind. Armic, however, was cherishing it. He suddenly broke the silence.

"Amy?" He prodded. She looked in his direction.

"Uh huh?" She came. He looked at the ground in front of him, as if wanting to say something he felt he might regret saying… but also might regret NOT saying. He then looked at her.

"So… am I still your prisoner…?" He asked, with a little smile. She had a warm expression.

"…Do you still wanna kill yourself?" She asked back, bluntly. He looked at her, with a forlorn look, but then shook his head. She grinned largely.

"Then you're free to go!" She said to him, as if it were obvious information. "…But…" She trailed, holding out her hand to him. He looked at it, wondering what to do. "…You're welcome to stay, as a friend." She told him.

Armic reacted to this with a flabbergasted, deeply surprised expression. His golden eyes twinkled, wavering, as if holding back tears… Amy was confused that he was taking such a simple statement… and making such a big deal out of it.

"…f-…friend…?" He mirrored, wondering if he'd heard correctly. Amy nodded, but frowned. He was acting like he'd never heard the word before… the poor boy! She felt bad for him… from the way he talked, he was exposed to nothing but evil in the past…

"Of course! Everyone needs a friend, right?" She said, chipper, as she continued to hold out her hand. He looked at it, and then took it, squeezing it a tiny bit, though still being gentle.

"…Yes… I'd be honored if you would… be my friend." He said, with what one would probably consider the perfect smile. His amber eyes glimmered with a happiness that made Amy feel good inside. Like when you give a small child a present on Christmas, and they give you a big hug because they love it.

Suddenly, Amy noticed something… She let go of his hand, and stared, taking a moment to rub her eyes. Armic cocked his head, and turned around to look. He saw nothing.

"Armic, you have… wings!" The pink hedgehog shouted. Armic looked at her, seeming a bit surprised, maybe even doubtful for a moment. He looked at his back, and indeed, he saw the glowing, ethereal appendages sprouting from his dorsal region. He audibly gasped.

"Th-the Wings of Chaos!" He said, in only half belief of what he saw.

Amy didn't have a word to say, just stood there, her mouth ajar, as he continued to look at them. He smiled, and gave them a flap… a slow one, just to test that they were really there…

"…Amy! Look, I…" He trailed, realizing she didn't fully understand the concept behind the wings. "…oh, right, I forgot to tell you about them…"

He looked at her and cleared his throat. "…Ok, um, well… in short, these are known as the 'Wings of Chaos'. They are gifted to what I refer to as the 'Lead Emerald'… It was said long ago that, should the Lead Emerald be destroyed, or cease to express it's normal power, the wings would pass along to another emerald…" He said. Amy nodded, though still looking a bit confused. Armic looked at her, and rubbed his head awkwardly.

"Um… I'll give you the full explanation later, when everybody's together." He told her. She nodded again, still looking at them. She'd never seen anything like them… they were really beautiful, and it was eerie that they seemed to suit the boy so well… they seemed to give him angelic qualities. It only made sense, too, though he'd not admit his own purity.

They dispersed, seeming to burst into a dazzling display of feathers, which faded into nothing, as if never really being there. He summoned them again, just to experiment, and she watched him. He was smiling largely, and it made her smile to, as they reappeared, seeming to immerge from invisible sockets on his back, the light forming themselves into the wing shapes.

It was quite a sight… he could even alter their size. He did everything with them, captivated with the new ability, though he never used them to fly, yet. Suddenly he frowned, and let them fade away with his smile.

"What's the matter…?" Amy prodded gently. He didn't bother to look up.

"…Well…" He started, with a regretful sigh. "…This just proves that all my brothers and sisters are dead… and the other emeralds with them." He lamented. Amy frowned. A moment passed, and neither said anything.

The female hedgehog then realized, when she was down, he cheered her up… she should do the same for him, and offer something positive for him to think about. She put her hand on his shoulder, making him look up into her bluegreen eyes.

"It's ok…" She said. "…We haven't known eachother for long, but… you're like a brother to _me._" She told him. He seemed horribly flattered, and, in an emotional display, he embraced her, like a child would their mother.

Amy was taken aback, but returned the affection, happy to show him that bit of love he never got from anybody else. She meant what she'd said, too.

The tender moment was disrupted, however, as she spotted a flash out of the corner of her eye. She squirmed a bit, and Armic released her from his arms, hoping he hadn't offended her. He soon saw, to his relief and curiosity, a light flying through the air.

"…What manner of magic is that…?" He asked, revealing his lack of knowledge concerning this era. Amy watched it.

"It's a flare... It's like a signal that we use to let somebody far away know our position…" She explained. Before the 2000 year old youth could respond, the flare exploded into a flaming symbol Amy was vastly familiar with.

"…Huh… what a bizarre shape." Armic stated, the mustachioed face seeming to resemble somebody he'd seen before, though he couldn't recall who.

"It's Eggman! He's over there!" She shouted, jumping up and down. After registering the information, Armic summoned his wings, and held his staff out, in both hands, as if presenting it to her.

"Here, hold onto this… I'll get us over there a lot quicker." He said to her. She smiled at him.

"Are you sure you can carry me? You've never flown with them before, have you?" She asked, putting him before herself. He only smiled back.

"No… but it's alright. I know I'm not ver strong, but I have the limitless vigor of a Chaos Emerald… and the Wings of Chaos are very powerful… I feel so much lighter at their very presence. Soaring at high speeds should be simple!" He exclaimed, flapping once, and gaining many feet of leverage. He flapped again, leveling his staff with the girl, as a sort of handle that she could hold onto.

She smiled, and grabbed hold of it. Not wasting a second, Armic lifted them into the air, seeming to have ease with it. He gave her a nod of reassurance, and she grinned. With that, they sped off, high hopes that Sonic was okay, and that everyone else had seen the flare, and was heading that way.

End Chapter 

Ok, just so you know, you just read the EDITED version of the chapter. Originally, Tails accepted Cream's offer, but this was because I hadn't thought ahead, to the consequences that… well, just wouldn't have worked out. Sorry for such a loooooooong delay, but it took me a horribly long time to work out the kink in the story. Next chapter should be here fairly soon, as it's already partly written! -

That's all I have to say fer now… so if you didn't the first time, REVIEW now, or forever hold your peace. A peace of my foot up your ass.


	18. Chapter 18

Whoo! It's finally time to get Chapter 18 out! I've been waiting for this… Really, I'm so excited about it… Or, rather I'm excited about 19, but building up to it's fun as well.

Or at least I think so. You guys know I'm making this up as I go along, right? …Yeah, I guess you can sorta tell in the fact that the…erh, feel of the story kind of fluctuates with my mood. Hehe ;

Anyway, I have no voice right now! I'm just like Shadow!

Shadow: …

Me: …? Oh right, I can still type though.

Ok ok ok! It's been such a long time since the story's been really updated, so I've got myself in too much suspense to wait any longer!

So here it is, your feature presentation! Enjoy! Oh wait, one more thing!

Welcome back to the reviewer rack, Rachel! I missed ya! And yeah… I've always been bad about cursing… :x Oh, and yeah, Cyberbanjo, I sorta guess that the wings all the angelic characters have in Tales of Symphonia are EXACTLY like the Wings of Chaos! (except the Wings of Chaos are large, and solid white) Yeah, I guess that game left sort of an impression on me… it was perty dang good… not a bad thing though, right? The similarities I mean?

Anyway, seriously, love goes out to ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL my reviewers! I wouldn't be typing this shi-erh… stuff up if it weren't for you guys! Hippie hugs!

Ok ok okokokokokokokkookOKOKOKOKOKokokokokok, time now for the real story!

As I said, please enjoy it! ENJOY IT OR GET OUT! (one person tries to leave, but he throws them back into their seat and begins typing… MANIACALLY!)

Miles 'Foxy' Prower! Chapter 18: "A Reunion" 

The bluish-black sunglasses flashed in the light, the expression of the no-doubt beady eyes behind them unknown. His jet black boot tapped against the concrete in a very characteristic fit of impatience.

"Where are those stupid friends of yours, hedgehog?" The diabolical Eggman asked the limp hero, though a response was not to be expected from his battered, unconscious form.

The doctor did not receive an answer… and scoffed, as if he should have.

"…_This is ridiculous… the only one who's shown up is the fox-boy, and he gave me that device, and just took off, without a word! Preposterous!"_ Thought the tubby genius, his patience obviously wearing very thin… though he'd launched the flare not 10 minutes ago.

Eggman recalled his surprise when Tails came, just… appearing out of nowhere. He'd no idea the fox was now ingenius enough to create such an affective camouflaging system!

(Flashback)

"Well Sonic, now all there is to do is wait! Your stupid friends will fly to your rescue, and probably scold me for all of my assistance while they're at it! We allllllllll know I deserve nothing less for saving your quills, don't we?" The mustachioed doctor whined, his statement dripping of overly-applied sarcasm.

Sonic didn't respond.

Eggman sat down on a pile of rubble, looking severely and thoroughly agitated at the fact that he was doing something good for a change… he never liked the feeling of being on the … dare he think it… _right_ side of justice…

A moment passed, and all the sudden, Eggy finally heard a voice… nearly scaring him out of his leather overalls… (but fortunately not!)

"…Well, Eggman, guess it's safe to say you know us all too well then…!" Came a young, but mature-sounding voice. The doctor recognized it instantly.

"Prower! Where are you….!" Exclaimed the doctor, looking around, frantically, his plasma pistol drawn. Tails couldn't help laughing.

"What's this? You can't tell? Use your EYES, doctor!" The boy came, as suddenly, a small green plane appeared, as if from nowhere!

"Wharg!" Was Eggman's only response, as he fell on his big, eggly rump, startled. He accidentally fired a plasma shot out of his pistol, which, with a beam-like noise, whizzed by the fox's ear, as he got out of his biplane.

"Hey, HEY! Watch where you point that thing! I just had this camo-module installed, and it's very fragile, ya dumb pile of cholesterol!" The two tailed boy insulted, as the doctor scrambled to his feet.

"Whaaaaaaat? How DARE you! Who are YOU to call ME dumb, you foolish little-…" Eggman ranted, his pistol ever pointing at the boy. He was cut short though.

"Ok Ok, my bad, whatever, just forget it…" Tails trailed, with a sigh, as he removed something from his plane. He didn't feel like trifling with the doctor at the moment. Eggman didn't recognize the device from afar, and he didn't bother to, as he was still fuming.

"…What's this all about, anyway? I spared this worthless rodent!" Shouted the Eggman, as if the boy was giving him a hard time, not seeming to realize that it was HE who was giving HIMSELF the hard time.

"Yeah, and I'm grateful for that… I honestly didn't think you had it in you to spare your lifelong enemy, given such a chance to end him, once and for all! Who knew _you_ had a heart?" The boy said, bluntly, leaving the doctor speechless, save a few stutters.

Tails laughed inwardly, as he set a small, metallic square on the ground, and walked over to the incapacitated Sonic, to check and see if he's alright. Eggman still had nothing to say except a few little grunts, as he seemed actually insulted by the compliment. Little did the doctor seem to know, the boy had used reverse psychology on him… And spoke a little truth while he was at it!

The doctor, knowing he'd been foiled in a comeback, inspected the object that the fox had brought forth. To his own irritation, he could not figure out what it was.

"Hmmph!" Eggman said, with a growl, as he dropped it, uncaringly to the ground. Tails turned around from what he was doing, and just barely managed to catch it. He looked up at his enemy with harsh eyes.

"Be careful with that, it's very important!" The fox yelled, setting it back down. Ivo scoffed.

"Peh! Important, eh! It's probably some sort of bomb or something! That's, it, isn't it? You just cant wait to get the hedgehog to safety, and then blow me to smithereens, after all I've done for you! Some good guys!" The enraged doctor ranted, his arms folded.

After checking Sonic's pulse, to see that, indeed, he was still alive and kicking, Tails felt a certain relief in that aspect. At this point, he was just a little bruised and unconscious… other than that, and a bad headache when he woke up, he'd probably be fine. However, the fox was tiring of the Eggman's attitude, and stood up, folding his arms, looking him right in the shades.

"Oh, shut up! Do you even realize how immature you're being? You barely take one look at the device, and you assume it's something I've invented to destroy you with! Grow up! Stop being so paranoid about everything! I swear, a kitten couldn't meow without you flying off the handle and assuming it's out to foil your plans for world domination! Geez!" The fox boy ranted back.

Eggman took one step back, and was surprised, and even a little intimidated… he'd never seen this side of the boy before. Not only that, but, despite layer upon layer of denial sprouting up from the doctor's head, Tails was making a valid point…

…Mama Robotnik always had said he was more than his share of immature.

Miles, however, continued to lecture him.

"…This device is a holographic projection, and that's ALL it is. So chill out, and leave it alone… I don't have time to explain anything else to you." The boy said, hopping into his plane, and triggering the camo, making it invisible once more. Eggman held out his hand, as if to stop him.

"Wait a second, where are you going? Sonic's right _here!_" He informed. Tails' voice came from thin air, hidden in the camouflage of his plane:

"I have to go, alright? Sonic's Ok, the others will be here soon to take care of him, but I have to get out of here before they show up!" He told him, firing up his engines.

"But why…?" The doctor shouted at him again. The fox-boy's voice seemed hasty, and urgent, as he replied:

"I told you, I don't have time to explain! Good-bye!"

With that, the Typhoon took off, leaving a small echo.

(End Flashback)

With remembrance of the event, Eggman glanced at what the boy'd claimed was a 'holographic device' of some sort, and sneered at it.

Though he'd certainly never admit such a thing, the doctor found himself unbelievably jealous of the progressiveness of the boy's inventions. Particularly, the fact that HE'D yet to invent such a silent, multi-functional, camouflaged aircraft.

The doctor had always considered the fox his biggest rival in mechanics. Usually, the boy lacked the resources, and funding that he had, but never the intellect to make up for it…

Now, after 4 years, it seemed that he did, and Eggman didn't like it one little bit. This was, in fact, almost enough to make the doctor consider the boy even more of a nemesis than the pesky hedgehog.

"...Where ARE they?" He wondered aloud. Emphasis on the word LOUD.

He'd been utterly and completely alone, with only himself and his KO'd enemy to keep himself company. The doctor's patience was horribly short-lived… it really showed how childish he really was on the inside.

…Little did the doctor know, he was NOT alone.

-----+ (Go on, guess who it is… guess, guess!)

Perfectly hidden within the shades provided by the overhanging building, a child of the night listened. The utter incarnation of silence, he'd not be heard, seen, or detected in any manner, until nightfall was upon them.

His eyes were closed, and his form appeared a meditative one. The raven hedgehog confided himself within his only other company, his own thoughts.

"_So… Sonic is alive…? That's good. Still, I wonder why Tails was in such a hurry to leave… perhaps it was the whole scent issue…? Hmm, I see. He's a smart boy." _ Thought Shadow.

Yes, indeed, Shadow was one who could not be fooled easily. Being a vampire had sharpened all of his senses… these including his sense of smell. When the ebony one discovered the boy being… well, a rather unmentionable form of 'attacked', by Rouge, he'd instantly known it was his bizarre new scent that must've set her off. He'd worked with the bat, and knew her well, and knew she wasn't the type to change much, even over a long period of time. If his definitions of her personality were correct, then she'd be the last to do something so sporadically… obscene on a whim… especially any whim of her own.

A moment passed, and the vampiric hedgehog's thoughts trailed to other things.

"Hmm… 4 years have gone by. I wonder how everyone will react to me..? I wonder… if this is such a good idea… But… well, I suppose it's not really choice of mine, Tails has already confirmed my existence, and he's bound to inform the others anyway… Yes if… things get out of hand, I can always go back into hiding… Still, I cannot be too careful in where I let myself be seen… why, just the very thought of being here is nothing short of absurd!"

With that thought, Shadow considered the option of leaving, and going back into hiding… just to be safe. After a moment, he shook his head.

"No… not yet… I simply must know what happened to the other 6 Chaos Emeralds… If anybody knows, it will be Sonic… I have a feeling that staying may reveal many things I never knew about the Emeralds… that none of us knew. And with that knowledge… perhaps, even with only one remaining Emerald, we may be able to defeat this menace." The cloaked hedgehog concluded. Now he'd just have to do something he excelled at… wait…. But he wouldn't have to for long.

"SONIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC!"

-----+

"Ahhhhh!" Shouted the Eggman, down below, as he fell from his perch atop the pile of stone.

Armic was about 10 feet from the ground when Amy'd decided to jump down, unable to contain herself. She went to the blue hero's aid immediately, scooping him up before you could say 'Sonic speed.'

Armic landed with grace, next to the good doctor, whom he'd seen only once before. Eggman winced yet again, drawing some peculiar-looking weapon and pointing it in his direction. The young Chaos Emerald Spirit, unsure as to how to react, did so with his general policy.

"Erh, fear not, I am not your enemy, good sir…" He said to the barrel of the plasma gun.

"Huh? Who are you? What manner of boy has wings…?" Muttered the doctor, lowering his weapon. At mention of that, Armic dispersed them, making Eggman rub his eyes in disbelief. His face looked confused, then twisted back into an irritated one. "Hey, who're you to call me 'good sir'? Are you making fun of me?" The egghead fumed. Armic just scratched his head, perplexed by the doctor's manner, before Amy shot a venomous glare in the evil genius' direction, shutting him up immediately.

After Eggman's weapon was out of her sight, she looked back down upon Sonic. The first thing she did was listen for a heartbeat…

Ba-dump… Ba-dump… 

"Oh, Sonic! You're alive! I just knew you would be!" She shouted, tears in her eyes. She had so much stress and worry pent up inside, releasing it all at once like this seemed to drastically affect her tear ducts, as the water streamed down, as she affectionately rubbed her cheek against his…

…Just then, Sonic's eyes slowly eeked open.

"…Owch… Amy… I'm glad to see you too, but tears don't feel too good on an open cut…" muttered the battered hedgehog, hinting at the small cut he'd received in the battle he'd been previously engaged in.

As the blue one spoke to her, not only did Amy's eyes, but her whole face, and her entire emotional state lit up. It was like… well, he'd actually said yes to one of her proposals!

"S-…S-S-…So-…." She stuttered, unable to completely say it.

"Heh… the one and only!" The hedgehog finished for her, with a wink. Somehow, even when he was covered from head to toe in pain, Sonic the hedgehog still kept his impeccable coolness.

"SONIC!" She practically squealed, embracing him as hard as she could, despite his condition. This of course, invoked the blue hero to let out a painful grunt. Amy flinched, and immediately let go of him, and apologized an uncountable number of times.

After collecting himself, he dismissed the apologies as unecessary. He wedged himself up to where he was sitting, leaning against a totaled building. The hedgehog's eyes trailed to look at Armic, and the young one greeted him with a smile.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Sir Sonic…" Said the boy, with a formal bow. The heroic hedgehog smiled back, and chuckled at his manner, despite not knowing who he was.

"You too, buddy, but just Sonic'll do." Was the hedgehog's response. At Armic's nod, the blue blur looked at Amy, a questioning, but still warm look on his face. "Who's the kid?" He asked her. Amy looked at him, then back to Sonic, before answering.

"Oh, that's…" Amy trailed, as different voices superceded hers.

"Amy!" Shouted Chris and Cream, in unison.

"Chow!" Cheese added, enthusiastic.

Amy looked in that direction, and smiled widely. They both came running, Chris noticeably slower than normal, but quite fast considering his injury. Amy waved, until they were upon them, and Cream immediately leapt into her arms, in a hug.

"Cream! You found us!" Said the pink hedgehog. Chris came up behind them, and Cheese hovered about Cream's head.

"It wasn't hard, we saw the flare… I'm just glad we didn't get sidetracked!" Stated a certain punk rocker. Sonic grinned at the sight of him.

"Oh, and here I was thinkin' I was the _only_ one who got in a fight! Where'd you get that lovely accessory, miss?" Sonic said sarcastically, pointing at the brace on Chris' neck. His deep blue eyes lit up, and he looked back at his hedgehog friend.

"Sonic! You're ok!" He said, with a smile. The boy walked over and knelt down, holding his fisted hand out. Sonic mustered just enough energy to bring his fist down on it, doing a sort of tricked-out handshake with the human boy.

"You better believe it!" He said, giving a weak thumbs up.

"Mr. Sonic!" Cream said, walking over also. Sonic looked up into the cute chestnut eyes, and he smiled up into them.

"Ms. Cream!" He said back, causing her to titter. The ever-rad hedgehog grinned at that, and looked up into the sky.

"Well, I'm no bird watcher, but I think I've spotted a couple o' lovey doves!" Said the hedgehog, suddenly, triggering everyone to look up into the sky.

Before anyone could react, and angry Knuckles had landed right into the middle of the growing crowd, and pointed his glove at Sonic.

"I heard that!" He barked, triggering the injured blue one to chuckle at his friends dismay. "And we are not!" Sonic only laughed harder, until he realized it was hurting him, and he calmed down a bit. Luckily for Sonic, Rouge hadn't landed until just then, and hadn't heard the comment. He grinned that classic Sonic grin as he noticed something.

"Ok, I'll let you have your way this time. Just promise me you'll straighten up that bandana, eh?" Sonic said, trying to be a smart-aleck.

…But then he realized nobody was laughing. The blue jester looked around.

"Huh… Tough crowd! Was it sumthin' I said?" He asked nobody in particular. Knuckles sighed deeply, and walked up to the hedgehog.

"…Sonic… you haven't been the only one fighting… We all have." He told the hedgehog. Sonic made a puzzled expression.

"…Yeah, there were these… freaky assassins, we were all attacked." Said Chris, confirming that he was one who'd probably fought as well.

"…Assassins…?" Sonic mimicked. Rouge stepped forth, and shook her head.

"It's complicated. Armic here has promised us all an explanation, once everyone's here." She informed. Armic, whom Sonic had discerned as the strange boy with the staff, nodded his head. Amy looked at everyone, and nodded.

"Well… I think the only one who's not here yet is Tails…" She spoke, looking around for the fox boy.

"Hmmph. Tails has been acting rather strange lately… It's like he's avoiding us." Stated Rouge, looking in another direction, eyes tinted with disdain. Chris folded his arms, and looked a bit indecisive.

"Yeah, I know… just earlier today, we called him, and asked him to come look with us, but he turned us down…" Said the rocker, shaking his head. Cream glanced at him, sadly, nodding a bit.

"Bah, forget Prower, I want an explanation!" Bellowed Eggman, letting all remember that he was present. Up until this point, Sonic hadn't even known he was there. The hedgehog flinched a bit, but otherwise regarded it as amusing that ol' Eggy was there.

"Woah, even Eggman's here! What's up, doc?" Sonic said, amused when the doctor grunted in response. Amy winked.

"Yeah, in fact, it was Eggman who found you, and led us all here, Sonic! He's turned over a new leaf!" The pink hedgehog said, making the tubby one scowl, and stamp his foot immaturely.

"I HAVE NOT!" He claimed. The blue hedgehog just laughed.

"Wow, Ivo, I didn't know ya cared!" He said, batting his eyelashes teasingly for comical effect. Eggman's head literally started smoking and he began ripping his own mustache hairs out in frustration.

"RRRGH! Shut up!" He shouted. Everyone laughed at him.

A moment passed, and Sonic let out a long sigh.

"…Gee, it's not like Tails to be so late… wonder where he is?" The hedgehog said, making audible his thoughts. He received a few nods from his friends, but, remembering something, Ivo Robotnik rubbed his bald head.

"Actually, the impudent fox was the first one to arrive! He looked at Sonic, chastised me about something, then left without another word." Said the Eggman, in a huff. Everyone's mouths dropped open, and Amy, angry, grabbed the collar of the Doctor's shirt and pulled him down to her level. He squirmed and squealed like a little girl as she yelled at him.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?" She shrieked in his ear, making everyone in the group sweatdrop. She let go, and Eggman fell to the ground, twitching a bit. "What did he say before he left!" She asked him, in a fit of pique.

"Uh… oh, yes, he didn't say anything… but he _did_ leave something. A small device… it looked sort of like a bomb…" He trailed…

_Shaaaaaa…_

"I told you it wasn't a bomb, you dunce! I think your brain has been scrambled!" Said a familiar, though staticy voice.

With a gasp, everyone whirred about to see, to their astonishment, a miniature version of the one, the only, Miles 'Tails' Prower.

"Woah! Tails, you shrunk!" Shouted Sonic. The small Tails looked in that direction, and gave his genuine 'you idiot' look.

"It's a hologram, you dummy!" Said the holographic fox-boy. The hologram smiled after that, and scratched it's furry head. "But I'm glad you're ok. Without you around, I wouldn't seem as smart!" He said to Sonic, with a wry wink. Sonic winked back.

"And I need you around to make me look handsome!" He shot back.

"Heh, you have Eggman for that." Tails said, deflecting the embarrassment to the doctor.

"HEY!" He shouted, making everybody laugh at him, yet again. Holo-Tails looked at the mustachioed madman, and shook his little holographic finger at him.

"Hey, that's what you get for calling my state-of-the-art interactive nano-hologram a measly bomb!" The boy stated, as his image flickered a bit. Eggman went over to the metallic square, in which the boy's image was being projected from, and picked it up.

"Why you little…" He started. The holo-Tails made a scowl.

"Hey, I can SEE you ya' know! Put the Nano-Holo down right now, it's just a prototype!" He lectured. Eggman flinched, as if not expecting that. He set the device down, to where it was perched atop a rock, elevated just enough to be able to see everyone's faces.

"Ahh, that's better. Now I can see you all." He said, with a smile. "Sorry I couldn't be here in person guys… I… Well, actually, it's complicated. Not to mention confidential… I'll tell you some other time." Tails said, rubbing the fur on his head, seeming a bit awkward.

Chris stepped forth, and folded his arms.

"Tails, no disrespect intended, but I think you owe us an explanation… We're your friends, after all." He says, making sure to maintain a cool disposition when addressing the fox, whereas anybody else in the world, given Chris's situation, would've probably yelled at the poor kit. Tails noticeably blushed, and averted his eyes, especially when he saw Cream nodding in agreement.

"…I guess you're right… but…" He trailed. Amy stepped forth.

"Yeah, Tails… why don't you tell us all why you're leaving Sonic hanging like this? What's so important anyway, that you can't be here in person?" The pink hedgehog questioned, looking a bit miffed.

"…Uh… Amy, listen I… you don't understand…" Tails stammered, nothing to counter with. Rouge tapped her heel impatiently.

"You're hiding something from us Fox-boy… what is it?" Said the bat, expecting answers.

"Uh… I mean… You don't… I can't…" He stuttered, utterly and completely defeated, the hologram of him backing up.

Sonic, however, had had enough.

"Hey, stop right there, all of you." He said, his voice sharp, and uncharacteristic. Everyone looked in the hedgehog's direction.

"But Sonic, h-…" Amy started, only to be cut off.

"Leave him alone. If he says he has his reasons, then he's probably got better reasons than any of us, so just drop it, okay? I've known Tails pretty much all my life, and one thing I've learned from that, is that he always does the most logical thing. The kid's straight as an arrow, and you all know it. Whatever reasons he has, he's probably doing what's best for all of us… and if he thinks that keeping whatever info you're trying to chisel out of him a secret is the best thing to do, then it probably is. And besides, he DID come, and he DID check on me. He wouldn't have left if he didn't know for absolute sure I'd be alright, and look, I'm fine. Coincidence? No. He _knew _you guys would come, and take care o' me. Not only that, but he's here… not in body, but big whoop? His mind is here, and that's all the use we ever get outta him anywayz, right…?" Sonic said, finishing with a wink toward the boy's hologram, which was smiling. "So lay off." The hedgehog demanded.

Everyone, as if having no choice, complied. Tails's holographic image gave the hedgehog a very thankful look, and Sonic just nodded, as if it were nothing.

Good old Sonic… you could always count on him, no matter what, it seemed. No matter what.

…Even Shadow, unheard and unseen, was smiling. _Sonic… He hasn't changed a bit._

Moments passed, and all were silent… Amy finally stepped forth, and looked at Armic. Armic stepped forth, and nodded.

"Everyone, I've some things that I think all of you deserve to know… About the Emeralds…" He trailed, instantly gaining everyone's attention, as a small breeze slithered it's way through the group.

End Chapter 

Yeah, that's all for now! Sorry it took so long to update for real… in between editing a friends story, "Reality Check" (which you should TOTALLY read and review if you truly want me to be happy), and all this other stuff I'm going through, It's been hard. But, the stories back in motion, and the tension's building up! Review me, and don't forget to stay in touch! The next chapter should be truly phenomenal.

Thanks everyone!

P.S. : Who want's to see Tails's reaction if he actually READ this story! If you're one of em' then check out "Reality Check!"

YiffyOne


	19. Chapter 19

Ok, this is what I've waited for! This chapter will be a compound creation… for the history of the Emeralds, I'll be introducing a original story of mine. It works quite well with this… so I hope you like it. Now, I'm far too excited to type anymore than this, so wish me luck, and enjoy this installment of Miles 'Foxy' Prower!

"Miles 'Foxy' Prower!" Chapter 19: "Crystal Kingdom" 

A wind blew about the desolate city, seeming to raise the tensions of those who wished to battle evil. The wind…

No matter how soft or hard it blew, it always brought with it some sort of emotion, some sort of sentiment. This wind was cold, and sharp, just as the destruction of the buildings that littered the streets.

Armic stepped forth, seeming calm, and solemn as ever. All faces gave him their attention, however, for the sake of making the situation seem a bit less tense, he gave a soft smile.

"…Before I begin to tell you the history of my former master… and his servers… is there anything in particular any of you need to ask me?" He says, looking at their faces, in search of any questions they might have.

Rouge stepped forth.

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask you… where's that chaos emerald you're hiding from me?" Rouge asked in a demanding tone, determined to find out it's whereabouts. She almost KNEW he had one… she could feel it's chaotic power resonating from his body.

Eggman, hearing the bat's harsh-sounding words, turned around, and looked at the yellow emerald he'd liberated from Sonic… making sure no one could see it before he greedily put it away once more. He wasn't about to give it up…

Armic only smiled at her.

"If you want the Chaos Emerald…" He said, holding his arms out, "I'm right here." he invited. Everyone looked totally perplexed, and Rouge cocked her head.

The thief looked at him, examining his robe-like jacket… it was large, and loose-fitting… but there where no pockets. He could easily hide an Emerald within the garbs, but, with the way he was fighting and moving all over the place only a day before… how would he have made it stay put…?

"…I don't understand…" Amy admitted.

"I don't think I get it either… What do you mean, Mr. Armic?" Cream asked, twiddling her thumbs. The blonde boy chuckled at her.

"Please, little maiden, of such a title I'm not worthy. Please, just address me as Armic, like the others." He told her. She nodded, and smiled at him.

"Well… To answer your question, miss bat, I _am_ a Chaos Emerald… the yellow one, to be exact… a part of it, anyway." He told them. The thief looked almost insulted, and she took a step toward him, only to by stopped by Amy's hand, and a shake of her head, the girl keeping young Armic from harm. Previously, Rouge was taking well to the boy, actually… for her anyway. But, it was common knowledge amongst those who knew the bat: separate her from her jewels, and she became quite vicious, even to a friend. The leather clad temptress scowled a bit, unsatisfied by Amy's attitude, but willing to let her have her way this time. None the less, she pointed an accusing finger at the boy.

"You're a liar… how can you expect us to believe such a thing? You're no jewel!" Rouge stated, not seeming to realize how immature she was being. (though she always acted that way when sparklies were involved.)

Holo-Tails shook his head, wanting to believe Armic, but finding himself unable.

"This might seem a bit rude, but that really is a tad illogical…" He remarked, receiving a few nods of agreement from the others. The spirit of the yellow Emerald looked at the hologram, and grinned, albeit sadly.

"…I suppose that's alright. I shouldn't expect you to believe _me_, anyway… but that 'lie' is all I have for you. There is nothing more." He told them. "2000 years ago, I was imprisoned within the Chaos Emerald, along with 6 others… we were chosen to enshrine ourselves within our Emeralds… and channel their power more effectively. We did not choose to have the power, or the immortality they bestowed upon us, but we were chosen at birth to bond our very existences to the Emeralds. It may seem like a blessing, but, take it from me, you live an extra hundred years more than you're supposed to, and eternal youth gets quite old, ironically." Armic explained to them, pacing around as he did, not really looking at anybody, but seeming in deep thought. Tails seemed to be the only one to find the humor in the last statement, but he forced himself not to laugh.

"…Tragically, though, we all fell into servitude of 'him'… I seemed to be the only one to retain my sanity… but I… I was weak, and afraid, so I submitted as well." He said, sulking a bit.

"…Who's 'him'…?" Sonic asked. The hedgehog suddenly had a horrible feeling, as the question left his tongue. The boy's eyes looked in his direction, then up at the eternal blue above.

"…My master. You all know him as the Master Emerald… His name is Bacillus." He told them.

That name… the name seemed to make everybody's hearts leap into their throats, and spines shiver with goosebumps… They did not recognize it, except Amy, who'd heard it once before, but as they heard it, they began to wish never to hear it again… never to speak it. Even Armic seemed to flinch at his own words, his eyes clenching for a moment.

"…He's a demon." He finished, looking to the side, trying to hide his eyes from them for a moment, "…He's lived in the Master Emerald for long now… Longer than anyone's taken count of… He's pure and unbridled evil… the worst of the worst." he claimed, seeming a dreadful kind of serious. Knuckles shook his red head, in a fit of disbelief.

"…That… that can't be! The Master Emerald… it was… I've been protecting it all my life! You can't tell me _now_ that there's a monster living inside of it?" He exclaimed, raising his fist for emphasis. Armic's eyes looked upon the guardian, and had the grim look of truth etched onto his features.

"Yes… the sacred duty of the Echidna tribe. I've heard of it, in my immortality. They were a noble tribe, the Echidna… but sir guardian… were you ever told exactly _why _you were to protect the Master Emerald…?" He asked. Knuckles froze, looking at the ground… upset to realize the boy's point, and find it, through his denial, couldn't find any evidence to prove his implications false.

"…That's right. You were to protect the Emerald from ever falling into the wrong hands… from ever releasing the demon within into the world. But… now that he's free… I know not what we can do to stop him…." He said… hanging his head low, looking hopeless.

For a moment, his hopelessness infected everyone… but suddenly, he looked up, and his eyes trailed curiously to Sonic.

"…However… I do have faith…" He said, reassuringly. Sonic smiled a bit at that.

Knuckles, meanwhile looked flabbergasted. He couldn't believe his duty was so… important. Even more important than he'd originally thought it to be. He was protecting not just a large gem, but the whole world from the being inside… and he failed.

"This is horrible… I've… I've let you all down… It's my fault this is all happening…" The echidna said, sounding defeated, as he grabbed his head, and shook it, looking at the ground… wallowing in his own shame. Rouge looked highly upset by the echidna's sudden turn of emotion.

"…No, red one, it's not your fault. You've not yet received full understanding of exactly what we're up against… this creature… he has the most unfathomable intellect you could possibly imagine… he's always planning, always pulling the strings, always manipulating the factors… His mind has possibly 1000 times the capacity of any human one… and he's psychic, as well. He's truly the ultimate being…" Armic stated.

Sonic, to everyone's surprise, laughed.

"Heh, I know a certain hedgehog who'd challenge that statement!" He said. Everyone but Armic smiled at that.

Shadow, from his hiding place, twitched.

A moment passed, and everyone's look faded back into an uneasy one.

"Incredible… but, I must ask, how can such a thing exist?" Eggman asked, scratching his chin, as he pondered if this creature could REALLY be smarter than he or Tails.

"I'll tell you… you see, Bacillus… he's not of this world." He said, looking grimly at the ground.

"N-not of this world…?" Cream stammered, a little afraid. Armic nodded, slowly. Even Rouge seemed a bit frightened, as she was beginning to wonder how anyone could have the imagination… to make something like _this _up.

Rouge had always felt a certain… evil of the Master Emerald… but she thought it was her conscience, or the greed or something… Knuckles, inside, felt the same… and, though his heart questioned it, his pride suppressed the lingering fact that he had been guarding something so evil.

"…No. He came to this world, 2000 or so years ago… when a place called 'Crystal Kingdom' reigned supreme. It was the people of that kingdom that created the Chaos Emeralds… They were a people with unfathomable magical ability, which they manipulated through gemstones." He told them. Everyone, especially Knuckles and Rouge, at this point, were listening intently, to this look back into Earth's unveiled history…

"Impossible… I've never heard of such a kingdom existing…" The hologram of Tails said. Just about everyone else nodded. Armic looked at them, strangely, with a certain wariness in his eyes, showing he wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"… I wouldn't be surprised. They were wiped out, each and every one of them, without so much as a trace… there are only… 8 of them left, at best." Armic said. Holo-Tails shook his head in disbelief.

"You don't mean…?" He started, as his brain, before anyone else's, began to piece the information together. The young one nodded.

…_8…? But there are only seven Chaos Emeralds… and if that Bacillus guy's not of this world… then who…?_ Sonic thought to himself, quietly. This was probably the first time the hedgehog had ever taken any interest whatsoever in anything regarding history… and it was strange, but he almost felt like he knew this stuff already… though at the same time, he'd never recalled knowing such things.

"Yes, I myself, once lived there. I… I was the chosen guardian, and counterpart of one of the kingdom's seven treasure jewels…" He admitted, trailing a bit.

Rouge made a deductive gesture.

"Those being the Chaos Emeralds…?" She asked. He nodded again.

"Yes, now you're catching on, my lady…" He said, through a faint smile, "…There was one more… a much larger jewel, created to utilize and control the powers of all the seven Chaos Emeralds…" He started.

"The Master Emerald." Knux said, beating everyone else to it.

"That's right." He said, nodding, "…We were a happy kingdom, with few problems… Until one day, a flaming boulder fell from the sky, and landed, smoldering in the ground…" The boy said, making gestures with his hands.

"Like a meteorite?" Tails asked him. Armic didn't seem to understand what the word meant, science not being a big thing in that day… But he nodded, assuming that's what they called such a thing.

"I suppose. I do not know where it came from, but within it was more than a simply stone… much more." He told them, his tone changing to something glum as he tried to think of a way to explain the happenings that occurred afterward.

"…Are you saying that… Bacillus had came to this planet, your Kingdom, using the meteorite as some sort of vessel?" Tails asked, surprising everyone with his vast intellect. Armic nodded, also amazed that the young fox-boy could deduct such a thing so quickly.

"My, but you're a perceptive one! That's exactly right… within this boulder, was enshrined a strange being… a monster, smarter, faster, more powerful than an army of Crystal's finest soldiers…… He who ended our kingdom, and any chance of it's legacy being known." The staff-wielding boy said, looking regretful.

"Wow, that's some mondo crazy stuff… But I gotta ask you… and I know this is a bit off topic, and I'm probably getting ahead of myself here, but why… why did the chaos emeralds shatter? I thought they were indestructible?" Sonic suddenly blurted. Armic looked a tad puzzled for a moment, being interrupted, not to mention the hedgehog's question was concerning an entirely different era. However, it was really no surprise… skipping ahead impatiently was just part of the hedgehog's character. Everyone turned in his direction.

"The Chaos Emeralds have shattered…?" Mirrored Tails, seeming astounded.

"Impossible!" Eggman claimed.

"Oh my... They're gone…?" Cream muttered, ears raising just a bit in her astonishment.

Chris, looking just as amazed as the others, shook his head.

"Sonic, you can't be serious?" The rocker asked, a smile on his face, thinking the blue hero was just messing around.

However, the hedgehog looked _dead_ serious… the kind of serious that seemed uncharacteristic to him.

"Yeah, I wish it were a joke myself… but I'm not lying, nor am I pullin' your leg, I watched the 7 Chaos Emeralds break into a million pieces, one by one, with my own two eyes." He said, grimly. Armic looked pensive for a moment.

"Oh? Mayhaps you miscounted, Sonic." He said, closing his eyes for a moment. Sonic raised an eyebrow as the young Emerald Spirit walked over to Eggman, and looked up at him. The doctor sweatdropped, and tried, and failed to look casual.

"Erh, wh-what is it? What are you looking at me for?" He stammered, tugging at his collar. Armic only grinned at him.

"…You have my host Emerald, do you not? May I see it, if only for a moment…?" He asked, kindly, and with a kind of policy that certainly shouldn't have been wasted on Dr. Ivo Robotnik, of all people. The good doctor folded his arms, sweating profusely now. It was unbearably obvious that he was hiding something.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about!" He lied. The boy frowned.

"…Very well… then I must ask you to forgive my rudeness." He says, as he raises his right palm.

A golden glow surrounded his extended hand, and it got brighter and brighter, causing all to gasp. A bright yellow light glimmered from within the doctor's pocket, causing him to jump.

"Wha-what is this?" He yells, frozen from his own bewilderment.

Without another second's pass, the yellow emerald levitated from the pocket, and flew into the boy's hand, seeming magnetized. Everyone in the group's eyes were considerably wide… It was obvious now, Armic DEFINITELY had connections with the Chaos Emeralds.

He held the emerald, and the glow faded. He turned, and showed it to Sonic, whom scratched his head, amazed. A moment passed, and he let out a long whistle.

"Heh, well dog my cats. Guess I exaggerated the pain I felt a little… there were only SIX emeralds ripped from inside my body!" He stated. Nobody except the hidden Shadow, and Armic understood that. Armic bowed to him, looking apologetic.

"I really must ask your forgiveness… It was my blind servitude to my former master that caused you so much pain and injury…" He explained. The blue whirlwind cocked his head.

"Hmm? How can it be your fault? I don't think I get exactly how… deep the connection you have with that emerald runs." He trailed, as he grunted, struggling to his feet, making Amy squeak, and run over to assist him. He leaned on her and grinned at the staff-wielding boy. "Urgh… Heh. Care to fill me in?"

Armic grinned at the hedgehog's pure resolve, and optimism, even given such a grim situation. He nodded.

"But of course…You see, myself, my brothers and sisters… we… We have the benefits of limitless energy, as I'm sure I've said." He trails, unsure how to put it exactly. Holo-Tails interjected.

"And that power is supplied by the boundless power of the Chaos Emeralds?" He suggested. The boy nodded, seeming to admire the kitsune's intelligence.

"Yes, yes, precisely. However, despite eternal youth, and endless vigor, the power of the Emeralds does not make us invincible. As many of you have proven, we can be killed, just as any normal person…" The boy explains, seeming to trail a bit. One could detect sadness in his eyes, but only for a flash.

"… You see, the connection we have with the Emeralds is divine…" He started after a moment, looking at the emerald he held. He held it up. "…Were you to strike this Emerald… I would feel it. Were you to break my bones, the Emerald would crack… and… Were you to kill me…" He said, at length, trailing, knowing the others could figure the rest of the sentence out for themselves.

"The emerald would cease to exist altogether…" Knuckles finished, eyes relaying some serious sort of stress building up within him.

Cream shivered, and Tails seemed to be the only one to notice. It was enough to make one wonder if the kit was happy, or disappointed with his decision to install visual display into the Nano-Holo. He didn't take his cerulean irises off of her for the longest time… but he finally managed to pull his eyes away from her, but only in an effort to avoid hers. Perhaps it was shame, perhaps he was still just shy… perhaps he didn't want to get lost in the vacuum of her copper eyes. Heck, it wouldn't be farfetched to say it was some mixture of all three.

"…Gah, long silences bug me, so I'm gonna ask another question." Sonic suddenly announced, wriggling from Amy's grasp, which had 'somehow' melted into an embrace. He instead leaned on what used to be a building for support. Armic turned immediately, casting his attention in the direction of the hedgehog.

"Yes, of course, I'll tell you anything I can…" He says, his amber eyes flashing with helpfulness. Sonic breathed heavily, and worked up a sweat just standing… He held up a finger, signaling for them to let him catch his breath. It became increasingly obvious that he was overexerting himself just to be talking in his condition, much less standing up.

"Don't strain yourself…" Cream pled, holding a hand out. However, Amy gave her a reassuring wag of her head, silently explaining that she had it under control.

Amy, naturally concerned, walked up and wrapped her arms about him, gently trying to help him out a bit. Sonic pushed her away, weakly, but the effort proved futile, as he didn't have the energy. Amy, surprisingly, set him down, rather than snuggling with him like one would expect. He looked at her with confused eyes. She held up a finger, and wagged it at him in a scolding manner.

"Sonic the hedgehog, you stay put for once!" She ordered. He gulped once, and she tapped her foot. "You're not indestructible you know… you just got the sap beat out of you, and what's the first thing you do? Waste all the energy you _should _be using to get better on trying to stand up! What will it take to make you stay put for once?" She asked, though the question was obviously rhetorical. Tails shook his head, actually grinning a bit.

"What do you expect? Sonic's the most stubborn person I know… he's usually not one, or two, but fifty steps ahead of the competition. So naturally, his ego's bigger than Eggman's gut." He says, shrugging. The fox boy received snickers, and one provoked scowl from the his Eggliness, before continuing. "…As a result, Sonic can't stand feeling weak and helpless in front of his enemies… and he's even MORE afraid of being seen that way by his friends." The holographic kit states, folding his arms and nodding in agreement with himself. Sonic actually seemed a bit agitated.

"Ahh… can it, will ya? Why can't you ever let em' figure things like that out themselves? Instead of ANNOUNCING it to the whole world…" He muttered, not all out mad, but about as miffed as he really ever gets. Holo-Tails just shrugged, fully satisfied with his assessment, despite the blue one's speculations.

"Somebody has to do all the constructive thinking around here." He states, looking a rather smug sort of omniscient. Sonic bit his lip, and looked the other way.

"Know it all…" He muttered, under his breath. Little did he realize, the defensive behavior he had in reaction to what Tails said was only further proving the kit's point. "So… anyway, like I was saying." He continued, "…I gotta know… what happened in the middle of that fight? I was winning… then all the sudden I felt like something… left me, and my power was cut in half… What did that guy… what did he do…?" The blue hero asked, generating an apologetic look from Armic.

"…Bacillus… he's beyond moral. He's no sense of honor, just a translucent guise of it. He did not hesitate to cheat, and go against the bargain you made with him when he found himself at a disadvantage. He called upon us, for the first time in years, and ordered us to kill your friends when he heard you say they were the source of your strength… being the servers, we'd no choice but to obey…" He said, dragging that sentence out a bit.

"…Oh, I see. Since you make up half the Emerald's power, when you left, my energy was sliced in two." Sonic said, beginning to understand a bit better.

"Yes, now you're catching on" The boy said.

Sonic only nodded afterward… but by-and by, the quiet returned. A really uneasy silence, at that. Finally, Sonic spoke again, looking unamused.

"…Ok, looks like I'm the only one here who can actually speak, so I'll ask another question," The blue one said, irritated at the lack of conversation. Nobody else seemed to be able to form the words to their many questions properly. Armic nodded, and looked attentive yet again.

"Ok, usually, in my past experiences, I could only become SuperSonic with the power of all 7 Chaos Emeralds… but, even when they started… rather painfully rippin' their way outta me, I was still in my super form… why's that?" He asked, holding his stomach, wincing as he vaguely remembered the pain he felt.

Armic began to answer the question, but Rouge suddenly made a pass at the Chaos Emerald he was holding. He managed to keep it from her, showing his superlative reaction time.

She persisted, however. Everyone began shouting for her to stop, but she simply wouldn't. Armic frowned as he used his staff to push her back, gently. She had rage in her eyes, but it melted away when he held the emerald out to her, openly. He smiled.

"If you wanted it, m'lady, all you had to do was ask." He said, showing impeccable manners, and how naturally giving he was. Amy grinned at how sweet he was… she really did wonder how a boy as pure as he ended up serving such a vile thing as Bacillus.

The bat looked hesitant, and somewhat defeated even. It wasn't like her to accept charity… that's why she'd rather steal. Nonetheless, she'd look extremely immature in front of everybody if she refused to take it because of pride alone, so she reached out her gloved palm, and gently took it, holding it to her chest. She didn't smile, but looked rather embarrassed, as she nodded silently to the boy, unable to word her 'thank you'. Armic turned, thinking nothing of it.

"…To answer your question… it was your heart that sustained you in battle." He began. Sonic raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

"My heart…?" He parroted. The blonde boy in priest-like garbs nodded.

"Yes. You know the Hymn of Chaos?" He said. Nobody responded with anything but puzzled looks.

"A… hymn? I've never heard of such a thing…" Said Knuckles, arms folded, his single visible eye expressing confusion and curiosity. Armic turned to him.

"Oh? But Sir Guardian, you've already said it many times before…" He stated, receiving a questioning look from the red fighter.

"What do you mean? I don't know any hymns…" He claimed, rubbing his head. Armic cleared his throat.

"…The servers… are the seven Chaos…. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart… The controller serves to unify the Chaos..." He said, trailing off there. Knuckles definitely knew that… it was the words spoken to consult the Master Emerald. The boy smiled at his amazed look. "You recognize that verse, do you not?" He asks him. Knuckles was too taken aback to nod. He'd known the words from birth… but he, nor any of his ancestors had ever identified it as a hymn.

"Well…yeah, but…" He trailed. He'd nothing else to add. The sole survivor of the Chaos Troupe smiled warmly.

"…Yes, those words are as ancient as the kingdom that created them… That verse was originally the chorus in a song called the Hymn of Chaos. To answer Sonic's question, the part that says 'Chaos is power, power _enriched _by the heart', is very true." He said, looking in the blue hedgehog's direction. "This is why he always utilized the power of the Emeralds so well, and was able to sustain his super form even without all seven." He finished, then turned back to Knuckles.

"…The Hymn of Chaos was written long ago, in Crystal Kingdom, not long after the treasure emeralds, and the Master Emerald were created. The song was enchanted… and worked as a sort of drawbridge of communication, and interaction with the Emeralds." He explained, seeming to have everyone's unbridled attention.

"So it was used to both unleash, and regulate the power of the Emeralds?" Holo-Tails said, suddenly. Armic smiled and nodded. Tails seemed to understand everything perfectly, which made things easier on him, so he took a liking to the two-tailed vulpine.

"Yes yes, absolutely. In fact, to this very day, the Hymn has worked as a sort of… seal, concerning the Master Emerald…" He revealed, seeming to have a grim turn in tone as he tried to think of a subtle way to say what needed to be said. It donned upon Cream before anybody, surprisingly.

"Oh… so it was what was keeping the evil spirit of the Master Emerald trapped inside…?" She wondered aloud. Armic grinned largely and proudly at her.

"Yes, that's it precisely! My, you are a smart bunch…" He announced, making some smile, and a few more laugh, possibly questioning the truth of that.

"…Bacillus… The Hymn, up until now, was all that barred his power for all these years. But the Hymn alone wasn't enough… you see, the song is not good, nor evil, but sits upon the fence on which the road to the two paths fork… it will affect the Emerald accordingly, depending on the song's… influence." He said, trying to find the words. Tails had difficulty translating the old-timey lingo, but eventually got it.

"Oh, I see… so the Hymn of Chaos, depending on whether the one speaking it is good or evil… has different effects on the Master Emerald's seal?" The hologram asked, not entirely sure. Armic nodded, and Knuckles smacked his fists together, loudly.

"So that's why the demon inside was never released whenever I spoke the Hymn…" He stated, before casting a icy glare in Eggman's direction. "…It was YOU who broke the seal!" He stated. The doctor looked insulted, and pointed his pistol at the echidna threateningly.

"Me? ME! I can't help it if you're an ignorant FOOL of a guardian! Protecting the Emerald is YOUR job, it's not my fault you're such a gullible dolt!" He barks back, until the two were in each other's face, growling. Cream, Armic, and Amy all made an effort to pull them away from one another, being the resident peacemakers.

Both were extremely stubborn though, and wouldn't back off until the other did… Rouge finally got tired of it, and whispered something in the echidna's ear. Nobody knew what she said to him, but whatever it was, it made him stop in his tracks, and behave like no one had ever seen… perhaps it was better not to ask…

Eggman still wanted to be a jerk about it, but, one threatening glance from Amy, and he shied away from the argument, as well.

Armic let out a long sigh, "Shall I continue…?" He asked them. Most nodded, a few only stared. It was good enough for him, though.

"Yes, very well… I assume you now know enough of the Emeralds and the servers to have vague understanding of the events at hand… but I've yet to tell you much of their history, and we must get back to that…" He said, making sure all were paying attention… And they were. "…As I've said, 2000 some years ago, a place called Crystal Kingdom reigned supreme… it was the largest kingdom around, and by far the greatest military power on the planet, in it's brighter days… It, however, was a peaceful place, with a wise king. The people of the kingdom had technological advances in the world of magistry, manipulating the art through gemstones, which were grown by the most talented alchemists, and enchanted by the most skilled magicians and priests…"

He trailed, looking glum afterward. "…I however, was not born into that age. I was born during the Kingdom's downfall, what we called the War of the Damned…" He took a moment to gather himself, as the memories came floating back to him.

(flashback)

"S-Sir Alexander… you can't mean to do battle with the wicked one… all by yourself…?" The young blonde boy stammered, as the smell of blood and fire filled his nostrils.

The knight before him was possibly the only among thousands of slain and injured soldiers, that had no mortal injuries. He turned around, looking at the young boy. He merely nodded, silently, solemnly. He had to do this… inside, he knew it was his destiny.

"…Yes, Armic… I'm sorry, but I must. I… I can feel it… I'm the only one left who can still fight… I…" He trailed. "…The kingdom has fallen… it is no more… but, this creature… his very existence is a threat to everyone… and as long as he lives, all those people will suffer just as we have… I must make my final stand… not for me, not for this kingdom… but… for the future…" He finished, hoisting his massive, crystal clear sword upon his armored shoulder. It appeared to be made out of pure diamond…

"…Will the Diablade be enough…?" Armic asked, through his own coughing, from all the smoke and stench of the smoldering flesh surrounding him.

Alexander only shook his head.

"…I'm not taking it…" He admitted, sticking the blade into the ground. Armic looked confused.

"…Sir Alexander, why…?" he uttered, tears forming in his golden eyes. The martyr in shining armor turned around, to look at him once more.

"…Armic… before he was killed, the prophet Belzeber told me you would survive. He said you, and 8 others would live… one of which including the demon Bacillus…" He started, looking at his razor sharp blade for a moment, then pointing at it. "… If this prophecy comes true, I want you to take this blade, and hide it… in the future, one will rise to wield it… my reincarnation… Alas, I know nothing about him… You must follow your heart. If the wicked one still reigns when that day comes… you be sure to present it to him… it represents his destiny… justice… and hope. I don't know if my plan will work, but I have no other option." He said, before slowly turning, and walking away.

"But how will you fight?" The boy asked him seeming hysterical. The unarmed man turned around, and merely grinned.

"Promise me." He said, ignoring the question.

Armic fell to his knees, and tried hard to hold back his tears, and be strong.

"…I… I promise, Sir Alexander… I'll find a way to survive, I'll do whatever it takes… I promise I won't let you down…" He muttered, between sniffles.

(end flashback)

Armic had to squint to keep from crying, as he remembered the sacrifice the legendary knight made…

That last look of farewell brought a mental picture of his face to the boy's mind, and he remembered it as if it were yesterday…

Long, sea-blue hair, which spiked radically, and blew dynamically in the wind… Neon green eyes, like a pure emerald, only brighter, glowing with courage, determination, and confidence… The eyes and the hair… suddenly he felt strange… as if he'd seen them elsewhere than just his dreams and memories…

"Hey, you ok, pal?" Sonic asked, suddenly. Armic nearly jumped, as his eyes trailed over to Sonic's… The mental picture of Alexander still engraved in his mind. For a brief moment, the emerald eyes of the hedgehog flashed… Armic's eyes shrunk, and he gasped audibly as something donned upon him…

A moment passed, and the immortal said nothing. Sonic raised an eyebrow, as a breeze picked up, blowing the hero's blue quills around heroically… just like…

"I-…it's not possible…?" The boy uttered to himself, examining the hedgehog again, not speaking another word, in a state of complete shock.

"…? Hmm? What was that? Hey, is somethin' wrong? You're starin' at me…" The heroic hedgehog pointed out, puzzled at the boy's sudden reaction to his merely looking at him. Armic said nothing, only shook his head a little. Cream became concerned, as came naturally to her sweet lil' ol' self.

"Armic…? Are you ok? You look like you've just seen a ghost!" She said, face showing her worry. She lightly put tapped him, but he flinched away.

At her touch, the emerald spirit managed to snap himself out of it, and he laughed fakely, rubbing the back of his head, as if they were making a big deal out of nothing.

"Erh, no, no, no, what makes you say such a thing, I'm fine! Allow me to continue where I left off…" He started, talking quickly, and peculiarly. A few tried to interject, but he wouldn't allow them, as he continued without any sort of consent. "…This was a war fought with the being within the Master Emerald… Believe it or not, this is not the first time he's tried to wipe out all existence." He announced, gaining all attention there was to gain. He paused, studying their faces, then continued.

"All those years ago, he used his wicked powers of manipulation, and, before long, the people fearing his power began to amass as his servants, his followers… he planned it all out from the start. Before we knew it, he'd accumulated over half of our own kingdom… His Dark Army. They were loyal to him, only because they feared he'd destroy them if they did not… which was true." He said, his voice becoming quite serious again. He shook his head at the irony of that.

"…Alas, they did not realize that he would kill them after he'd gotten his use out of them anyway…" The boy said, with a very grim tone that sent chills up their spines. He felt it himself, and he could feel his knees buckling a bit.

"…His own followers? That's…" Chris began, trailing off. Armic looked at the lightly injured human, and nodded.

"Yes. Such evil is characteristic of him… However, one knight led a powerful resistance against him, and caused his army considerable damage… SO considerable, in fact, the numbers at his disposal were reduced by more than half. However, we played right into the demon's brilliant hands… in our army's absence, he'd taken the castle!" The boy exclaimed, making wild gestures with his hands.

"No way! All by himself?" Knuckles came, eye wide in disbelief. Armic looked completely serious, and nodded to him.

"…Yes. You underestimate the power of the demon himself… he'd easily obliterated what was left of the royal guard, and he killed the king, as well… he left only 7 in the castle alive…" The boy said, trailing.

"Those being you and the other emerald spirits?" The holographic Tails asked, receiving a nod.

"He kept us alive for a reason. We were one with the Chaos Emeralds, and were granted immortality with that bond. The demon had planned this for a long while. He was so powerful… but apparently he feared death, which would come to him eventually… Time was one thing that he knew would kill him if he did not do something about it soon. He wanted the secret to eternal youth." The boy stated, looking at those around him. Most looked to be in a state of understanding, which was good.

"…So how did you come to be in service of him?" Amy asked, looking a tad shaken, but maintaining a state of calmness.

"…I'm getting to that. I watched the Knight, my best friend, leave in search of the demon… only to find that he was in the castle the whole time. He took me and my brothers and sisters hostage, and threatened to kill us in the most brutal way imaginable if we didn't pledge allegiance to him…" He admitted, as his words began to shake a little. There was a long moment of quiet, accompanied by a thick feeling of regret from the boy.

"…We were so young, and scared… so we all cracked, and swore the oath to him. This allowed the demon to manipulate our wills, twist them until they were the blackest of evils… My once kindhearted siblings all changed before my very eyes. I watched the glimmer of good in their pupils slowly morph, and decay into those horrible, wicked eyes." He confessed, shaking at the horror of his own memory.

Just then, both Cream and Amy walked to him, offering him their comforts. Both had a certain motherly instinct, and could tell when somebody was distressing, and needed some sort of attention, some amount of love. He didn't look them in the eyes, but eventually wiped the tears forming within his, and stood up. The girls broke off, and looked at him, still a little worried. Cream looked a bit confused, on top of that.

"But Armic… you don't seem evil at all… you're nothing like that knight Chris fought… you're nice, and polite…" She said, generating a nod from Amy, and some others as well. Armic shook his head in disagreement.

"…After the things I've done, it matters not whether he bewitched me or not… After showing such weakness, how can I claim to be pure?" He said, looking at the ground. Amy put her hands on her hips.

"Hey, I thought we agreed you were done degrading yourself like that… now stop being so pathetic, and tell us how you escaped whatever spell that demonic jerk cast on you?" Amy said, in a huff, showing her magnificent capability of switching from gentle and soothing, to blunt and scolding within an instant. Armic gulped, and nodded.

"Well, you see, the Knight… he hadn't really left after all… He was probably trying to trick Bacillus. Just as the demon was about to possess my mind, he reappeared, with the sacred Hymn book. He sang the Hymn of Chaos, combining it with his exceptional power to control gems, managing to seal him into the Master Emerald…" He said, answering the question.

"Wow," Was all any of them could say. Armic nodded.

"Yes… but as a side-effect of the spell, my brethren and I were also sealed into our host Emeralds… not only that, but the Spell he conjured proved to be so powerful, it caused a tremor, that brought the castle down upon him…" He spoke, looking unbelievably sad as he said that.

Cream frowned.

"You talk about that knight a lot… you two must have been good friends… What was his name…?" She asked. He looked at her mournfully, but smiled nonetheless.

"…His name was Sir Alexander Xavier Winchester III. Of all the names I know, his is one I shall never forget. He was the finest knight in the kingdom… head of the army… my hero… I grew up, wanting to be just like him… but… all that's left of him…" The boy trailed.

"…Is a promise I've yet to keep…" With that said, Armic's face twisted, as he began to, once again, struggle to hold back his tears.

Cream, of all people, knew what it was like to cry, to be sensitive… And she knew how to deal with her emotions. It pained her to see him hold it in like that… And she couldn't make any sense of it. Whenever she tried to hold back, it always just made her feel anxious, and stressed. It was her release, and she learned never to be afraid to cry if she felt like it. It was one of the many reasons, until very recently, she remained so stress-free and healthy all the time.

The fetching bunny placed a paw on his cheek, and turned his face to look at hers. Surprisingly, she smiled at him.

"…It's okay to cry, Armic… It shows you have feelings… and it helps you calm down when you're feeling upset… Go ahead and cry… no one will make fun of you, there's nothing wrong with it." She said, in a soothing pitch that nearly approached a sweet lullaby-like tone.

The boy smiled, and a few tears dropped down his cheeks… but that was all. It seemed that the girl had talents for soothing the heart-broken… and he actually felt much better, and quickly at that. He chuckled as he wiped them away.

"Hehe… Forgive my dramatics… You'd think 2000 plus years of service under a demon… would've dried up all my tears." He trailed, looking to the ground, bashfully. Nobody really responded… so the Emerald spirit began to search his mind for more information to provide… but he found none. He let out a sigh of relief. He was finally done.

"…Well… I believe that's all there is to tell… do you all understand?" He asked, looking at each with a smile.

The holographic image of Tails was the first to nod, his massive brain and perceptive talents for connecting logic easily grasping all the information… though that didn't mean he wasn't having a hard time believing it. Nothing the boy said seemed false, even under his fierce logical examination, but such… unknown history, such unheard-of happenings were quite difficult to believe, with or without proof.

The hologram of the boy was rather noticeably turning to look at Cream consistently… and this time, rather than a swift evasion of eye contact, his eyes locked with hers, which were already staring in his direction. He was trapped now… he wouldn't be able to look away unless she did…

And, until he could get her off his mind, he wouldn't be able to help think of a way to defeat the Master Emerald Titan, within which dwelled Bacillus.

…Cream was much the same way as Tails, but she purposefully met his eyes, which twinkled as they looked into hers. His eyes were the only time she could see any of his emotions at all… one of the reasons she didn't usually know. She had to admit, despite his wronging her, she was completely captivated by even just a hologram. It didn't look like she'd be able to contribute any original ideas either…

She sneezed, blinking once, just enough time for the boy to look away. Afterward, she frowned…

…Too bad she couldn't see his blushing through the unclear hologram.

Sonic, in the meanwhile rubbed his chin, in the last place you'd ever expect him to be… deep in thought. He couldn't get over the sense of nostalgia he felt when he thought of that name… Sir Alexander… it seemed so familiar, and yet, he was positive that he'd never heard it before in his life… He wondered why his blood boiled so vigorously when he heard it… what connection had he with someone gone for more than two millinia?

Sadly, though, Sonic didn't seem to have any ideas concerning the defeat of the Demon Bacillus at the moment.

Amy's mind was a mixture of worry, anxiety, and pension. Her brain was hard at work just registering all the information she just received… but still she tried, though, considering her, the results she'd turn up would be questionable.

Rouge looked at the Emerald Armic handed to her openly, and suddenly Eggman's hand grabbed for it. She practically hissed at him, and the two began to bicker over it, eliminating both minds from contribution to the idea bin.

Knuckles shook his head at the two, and, like everyone else, did his best to ignore them. He was probably thinking more deeply than any other present… this whole story revealed the true nature of the Master and Chaos Emeralds… and he couldn't believe he'd never known… it was a lot to meditate on. As for ways to defeat the demon he was partially to blame for, (allowing it to be unleashed) his mind was a bit too clogged with thought of his ancestors, and their connection with the Emeralds.

Chris had a difficult time grasping a lot of this stuff. He didn't really know half as much about the Emeralds as anybody else in the Sonic gang did, so he was biting his lip just to comprehend all this stuff. He'd do what he could, though, as he always did for his friends, though he probably wouldn't be the one to watch for, at least not concerning 'ingenius ideas for the downfall of a 50 foot tall giant'.

Armic, glancing at Sonic, felt something deep inside of him awaken… a familiar feeling, but one he hadn't felt in decades… longer. The feeling pulsated straight from his heart, almost giving a pulling sensation toward the blue hero…

"Follow your heart," Alexander told him.

He still couldn't believe it himself, but his heart was definitely tugging in the hedgehog's direction.

…It was safe to say that, if anyone had a plan, it was Armic.

The sky turned pink with laziness, as the sun drug itself ever toward the horizon. By the looks of things, nightfall would be upon them soon…

The very incarnation of silence, and patience, the concealed Shadow's raven and crimson quills twitched with anticipation for the night, which he could feel nearing. It would be then that he'd reveal himself at last… After hearing what he'd heard, he'd uncovered a rather clever plan himself…

End Chapter 

Yep, that's all of it! Yeah, I needed a history for the Chaos Emeralds, and Master Emerald, so I took an old original story of mine and sorta meshed them together.

I DO have a horrible feeling I might get flamed for this, and I can't help but feel, despite ALL the unbelievably long explaining this chapter contained, that some of you readers will still be confused. Anyway, I'm still very proud of this chapter, and I think things are coming together… well, I can't really say 'nicely' or 'evenly' but… hey, they're coming together, right? Ehehe, yeah, don't answer that.

Anyway, I'm glad I've finally got that done… next chapter should be REALLY interesting, don'tcha think? (again, do NOT answer that.)

So yeah, oh! In response to one of my reviews, from uh…. Cobalt Blue I think, Tails where's a vest and shorts to represent a bit of a change in his character. Some people can't connect change or development in character without change in their appearance… so this is why he wears clothes… he's grown up quite a bit, even though he was pretty mature to begin with. And no, since Sonic, and Knuckles haven't really changed that much at ALL, they're still goin' nudey. XD And Shadow, of course, has his trademark cloak, but is otherwise the same in appearance.

Also, I'm totally flattered all of you guys love lil' ol' Armic so much! The things you said about him being a cool OC totally and completely flattered me, seeing as I really didn't expect an OC to get any love at all, even given a good situation.

But yeah, creating OCs is unbelievably fun for me… and I've had a good time as of late helping some friends come up with things for them. I also love to do commissions for good OCs, that I think might look cool in a drawing… but I'm blabbering like an idiot now… I need to get to bed! ;

So stay tuned for chapter 20, much love goes out to all my wonderful reviewers… you guys friggin ROCK.

YiffyOne out!


	20. Chapter 20

Whoo hoo! This is AWESOME. You know, when I first started writing this on a mere whim, I never in my wildest dreams even vaguely considered I would come this far in it… and look where I am! Chapter 20! Geez, I could write a book!

It's really cool to know that people all over the world are reading this, and saying 'man, that guy's a good writer'. Well, at least that's what I hope they're saying!

Anyway, I digress, all of my reviewers that've been sticking with me since the very beginning, I love you guys! Seriously, you're like the second family I never had…

Ok, my current favorite reviewers are as follows…

Fairy-Girl,(I ADORE that person, and I've never even talked to her…THAT'S how good her reviews are.), Luv Shadow 14 ( a good friend), Watch for Stars (another good friend), and Rach(buncha numbers here), and Tails11 (his are short, but kind, and he never fails to leave one, either.)… and there's also another whom had no access to mediaminer, and reviewed via email… well, that is until I re-posted on fanfic. Ah, yes, take note that all these reviewers, bar that one, are from not from All the GOOD reviewers from followed the story here, and I now consider them as mainly reviewing from mediaminer, anyway. Plus, all the 'extra' reviewers I've picked up on mediaminer are also fantastic… I haven't gotten a single flame, I tell you!

The numbers still pale in comparison to what I'd have if it had never been deleted off fanfic, but since re-posting on I find that the actual _quality_ of the reviews are far superior on mediaminer, and personally, I'd rather have 3 GOOD reviews than 300 half-a-sentence ones. Plus, I've been accumulating a few flamers and critics from fanfic, and that just doesn't sit well with me.

This is not to say those are the only ones I love, those are just the only ones I remember I ADORED, and I just so HAPPENED to notice they're all from mediaminer. If it's somehow important for you to be on the list, then leave a good one for this chapter! And don't just say that you liked the story, or chapter… tell me _what_ you liked about it, and what aspects of my style or plot you enjoyed… these are the properties of a good review!

Ok, moving along, now that I've got a considerable amount of original stuff in here, here's something I don't normally do…

Disclaimer: All aspects of this story are copyright to Sega, or somebody else who's not me, with the exception of Armic, the other 6 members of the Chaos Troupe, Sir Alexander, the Demon Bacillus, and all other concepts exclusive to "Crystal Kingdom", which was an original work by myself, combined with this story to spice things up. If you're interested in using any of these for yourself, please consult me before you do-so. On the off chance that somebody DOES have some use for these things, I'd be truly flattered, and, provided you give me recognition for my own ideas and characters, would gladly give you my permission to use them as you please. I doubt anyone's fanatical enough to do any of this, but I just thought I'd let you know in advance. Thank you.

Yeah, I don't generally do disclaimers, because… well, I find them somewhat unnecessary…

I mean, anyone who knows how to READ should be smart enough to know that anything posted on a site under the category 'fanfiction' isn't completely original… I honestly believe I could claim all these characters for myself, and nobody would do anything… if they did, I'd laugh at their sheer idiocy. However, I thought it would be good to inform you that, if you haven't yet figured it out, Crystal Kingdom belongs to me, myself, and I. Needless to say, I hate disclaimers, I find them a hassle, and I'm probably not going to do another one anytime soon, much less every chapter, so pay attention to what that one says.

Ok, I know you came here not to hear my opinion, nor be instructed by me, but to read chapter 20… so, I'll delay no longer.

"Miles 'Foxy' Prower!" Chapter 20: "The 'Ultimate' Surprise" 

As the dark began to slowly consume the light, the sun could be found retreating on the horizon, leaving it's trail of fading colors. The sea sparkled as a final farewell to the mother star, as it's way of telling her she'd be missed.

Creatures of the day mourned, whilst creatures of the night rejoiced.

_Accursed sun… may it never return._ Shadow wished silently, as he did during every sunset.

…Sonic, who'd been moved to a medical tent belonging to G.U.N., squirmed on his cot.

"Peh… these bandages are so itchy…" He muttered, trying not to scratch at them.

"Now you know how _I_ feel." Knuckles said, from the cot across from him. Sonic looked at him a moment, then laughed.

"Hahaha, you said 'I'." He pointed out. The feisty echidna just glared at him, trying to relay to the hedgehog how distasteful the joke was. The jokester frowned.

"Ok, Ok… I was just funnin', sheez. Try to lighten up a little, Knux." He suggested. The red fighter only scoffed, and folded his arms.

"…You never cease to amaze me, Sonic. You get the pulp beat out of you, 6 of the emeralds shatter, a crazy, unstoppable demon is on the loose, destroying everything in it's wake, and you STILL manage to think that I need to 'lighten up'." He stated. The blue bolt, to his dismay, found himself without any sort of counter-point. He shook his head.

"You're startin' to sound like Tails…" He told him, laying back and closing his eyes. "Which I guess means you're right… for once."

Knuckles didn't respond, only went back to his thoughts.

…In the tent next to them, Rouge, Cream, and Amy were just sitting around, small patches of conversation passing between them every now and again.

Cream looked to her right, knowing the echidna and hedgehog were only feet away.

"…Do you really think they'll be able to get along all night? That's an awful long time for those two to be together…" The bunny said, wording her concerns. Rouge shook her head.

"Well, even with all the 'one-eye' jokes Sonic will doubtlessly crack, Knuckles has enough honor not to hit an injured hedgehog." She told them. Amy, adjusting the pillow of her bedspread, sighed.

"It doesn't matter, he's just being a hypocrite." She groaned. "Sonic may have both his eyes, but, in most cases, he's as good as blind." She claimed. Cream giggled a little at that, and Rouge smirked.

"Heh. Well, the way I look at it, one eye or two, as long as a man can still see _anything,_ you can bet he's gonna wanna see _everything._" The bat philosophized with a snobby look. Amy laughed.

"Oh, was Knuckles checkin' out your goods, again?" She teased. A vein promptly bulged out of the thief's head.

"Shut up!" She scoffed, folding her arms, and averting her eyes. Her face matched her suitor for a moment there. Even Cream giggled, though it really wasn't her type of humor.

Eventually, however, the rabbit found her spirits sinking again. It didn't take Amy more than a second to notice.

"…What's wrong, Cream?" She asked. The girl just shook her head, and sighed.

"…Tails… I've never really even seen _his_ eyes. Whenever I try to look at them, he always looks away…" she uttered, mournfully. Even Rouge found her heart sinking at the young girl's tone. Amy gave her a hug, trying to cheer her up.

"It's ok, Cream… Tails is just… one of those secretive guys." She told her. Cream sniffled a little, from her cold, which didn't seem to want to heal. The cocoa eyes looked up into Amy's teal.

"Secretive…?" She mirrored. The pink hedgehog smiled, and nodded. Rouge stretched a little, and crossed her powerful legs as she sat.

"Oh, I know the type," The bat began. "She's right, Tails is definitely one of them… He hasn't been telling us much of anything lately." She speculated. Amy nodded in agreement, before looking back to Cream, who, by her eyes, was practically taking notes.

"And Tails, he's not stupid… I bet you he knows that girls have a way of… finding out how boys work by looking into their eyes. Maybe that's why he won't look at you." Amy offered, with a warm, welcoming look. Cream smiled a little, and nodded, considering what the girl had said. After a moment though, the bunny girl felt compelled to say something else, unable to leave the subject. (She could talk about the boy for hours, of course)

"…Actually, I think he's scared of me." She admitted. A moment passed, and just as soon as they registered the information, Amy and Rouge both looked at each other, and simultaneously let out a thunderous 'Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!', frightening the girl somewhat.

Cheese was roused from it's light sleep, and began looking around for the source of the noise, before it slumped it's head back down onto Cream's pillow. The chao had always been a heavy sleeper… especially nowadays, since it got a considerable amount lazier over the years.

"Hehehe! That's so cute!" Amy said, through her own incessant tittering as she nudged the rabbit with her foot. Cream blushed, confused as to how that could be a good thing. Rouge put an arm around her, embarrassing her even more.

"Ok, he definitely likes you." The bat claimed, heartily. Amy went over and put her arm around the girl as well, sandwiching her in between the older girls.

"Oh, for sure! I can't believe it, Tails is one of those 'emotionally insecure' guys! TAILS!" She repeated, as she and Rouge laughed almost drunkenly. Cream wriggled her way out of their grasp, and looked at them, face still tinted pink.

"What do you mean…? That's not funny, tell me what you're talking about!" She demanded at the sight of her friends whispering something to each other. They winked at one another, and Amy smiled at the bunny.

"Ok, look girl, it's like this… Tails isn't afraid of you… he's…" Amy put her finger to her lip and thought a moment, trying to find the perfect way to word it. Rouge interjected.

"He's afraid of the way he feels about you." She informed them. Amy turned about and nodded wildly.

"Yeah! That's it! He's just afraid of confronting his emotions when you're around…" She explained. Cream, though still a tad shy on this subject, especially since the two girls were being so LOUD, took a moment to think on what they were saying.

…Well, they _seemed_ to know what they were talking about… If she knew one thing about them, it was that finding out how guys functioned… It was sort of a hobby of theirs. Still, she really couldn't use what they were giving her.

"I don't get what you mean… Why would Tails be afraid of his own feelings?" She asked. She had an idea… but she wanted a second opinion. Amy looked pensive.

"Well… Tails, to my knowledge, has never really shown any interest in girls, really. At least not any in particular. I guess this is the first time he's ever liked anybody… It's a new feeling he's never felt before, and he doesn't know how to react… so naturally, he gets nervous and tries to avoid it, and it's source..." She said. The bunny sort of understood…but she hung on those last two words.

"It's source…?" She parroted, cutely.

"You, girl!" Both girls said in unison.

"Oh… Oh, my…" Was all she could say, as blood conquered the vessels in her face, giving it the hue of a tomato. She was smiling though, through her embarrassment. Deep inside, she hoped they were right… that would mean that Tails DID like her… and that was all she really wanted.

She sniffled a little, and then sneezed, cupping her face, as she was always taught not to do so was impolite. As one's head naturally jerks when a sneeze comes, the bell she wore jingled wildly for a moment, though she herself didn't notice it. Amy's ear twitched, and her eyes zeroed in on the accessory.

"Bless you." She said first, "Cream, where'd you get that?" She then asked, touching the golden object with her finger. Cream sniffled a bit more to clear her tiny nose, then looked down at it.

"Oh, Chris gave that to me…" She said, not really thinking anything of it. She loved it, really, but her mind was on other things. Amy's eyes grew wide, and she and Rouge grinned at one another again.

"Seriously? For no reason?" The pink hedgehog asked. The bell-wearing rabbit cocked her head, looking suspicious.

"Yes… why does it matter?" She counter-questioned, at length. Rouge let out a long, soft chuckle.

"My, my, everyone's out to get, you, ah? I guess guys like cute and innocent nowadays." She said with a shrug. Cream frowned, perplexed.

"It was only a gift… and I like it… what's the big deal?" She asked them. A pink tint found her cheeks. Amy smiled, and sat down, leveling with her.

"Well doesn't that tell you something? It's a really cute little ornament… especially on you. Chris must've put a lot of thought into getting something _especially_ for you. Something you'd love. Guys only do that on one occasion." She explained. Though the bunny was a tad uncomfortable, she still listened. She didn't make any sense of what Amy was implying; though it was so dreadfully simple.

"What's that…?" She asked. Amy sweatdropped, not realizing the girl was _really_ as naïve as she looked.

"Well, uh…" The pink hedgehog started.

"Ah, let her figure it out herself, Amy." Rouge said, interrupting. Amy looked at her, thought a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah… You really should find out for yourself. If you really wanna know, Cream, you should consider all the things Chris does, and the way he acts around you." She suggested. Cream pouted a bit, finding herself unsatisfied with not having the answer handed to her, as per usual.

"Ok..." She muttered. The girl really wanted to know, but that didn't change the fact that she was passive by nature. She'd never really _argued _with anyone, much less haggle information out of them. It was something that just didn't sit well with her.

…The final tent, across from the other two, had possibly the most… unlikely assortment of characters within it. This being…

…Regrettably, everyone else.

"Bah, stupid boy!" Eggman shouted at Chris, abruptly. The punk rocker gave him a strange look, almost in pity.

"What… did I do _now_?" He asked, hesitantly. The doctor had been fuming at him and everyone else within five feet of his cot for the past 2 hours.

"…Nothing, I just felt like letting you know you're stupid!" He said, folding his arms, and turning his nose up. Chris sweatdropped.

"It's no use," Holo-Tails interjected, from his spot placed in the corner of the large tent. "Eggman obviously has to be yelling at somebody in order to function, Chris, you should probably just ignore him."

"Grr, shut up!" Was all that came from Eggman's side of the tent, which was probably more than his share. Chris turned his attention to the holographic kit.

"So, Tails, I've been meaning to ask you… where are you transmitting this from?" He asked, referring to the _real_ fox's location. Tails thought a moment, but shrugged, seeing no reason to keep it from him.

"My workshop, naturally."

"Oh." The boy responded, sitting down on his cot. He glanced over in the direction of Armic, whom only smiled at him. He smiled back, but then frowned when his eyes met the ground again.

A moment passed, and the rock star found himself getting restless. In dire need of some form of conversation, he looked up at Armic once more.

"Say Armic… I'm sure you had a rough time explaining the history of the Emeralds to everyone… maybe you should get some rest…?" He suggested, for lack of anything else to say. Armic started to say something, but Tails interrupted.

"Chris, if Armic really is in direct link to the infinite energy of a Chaos Emerald, he probably has no need for rest, or sustenance." The fox boy informed. Armic found himself sweatdropping. Tails had an impressive intellect, but, as they say, no one likes a know-it-all.

"Huh?" Chris said, seeming to be in disbelief. "You mean he doesn't need food or sleep?" He asked. The Emerald Spirit nodded.

"Yes, that's about the size of it." He told him. Chris blinked.

"Huh. Well, why didn't I realize that?" He asked, rhetorically.

"Because you're stupid, stupid boy!" Eggman grumbled irritably from his cot. Chris only narrowed his eyes in annoyance, then laid down.

A long moment passed, and other than Eggman's consistent ranting, complaining, and insulting of every person he could think of, nobody really said anything.

Suddenly, a loud, static covered racket erupted from Tails's Nano-Holo. Chris sat up, and looked at it, puzzled.

"Tails, erh, I think something's wrong with your device…" He trailed, unsure what to do.

"Oh- _fzzt_ shoot…_bzz_-ink it's _zzt_-unning out of p-_gzz_-er…" The fuzzy picture muttered, it's message distorted and incomprehensible. Chris tapped the small metallic square a little, and the image of Tails disappeared completely. The rocker jumped, feeling like he messed it up somehow, as he picked it up, shook it, wiped it off with his shirt, pretty much anything that he thought might get it to turn back on.

"Oh man, what's… wrong with this thing…?" He questioned in distress, looking for some sort of switch or something, finding nothing. Without warning, Eggman walked up, and snatched it from him.

He examined it, using one hand to lift his shades out of the way, so he could see the object better.

"Hmmm… Oh, oh I see!" He exclaimed, as if he'd just had a breakthrough. The young musician looked at the doctor with pleading eyes.

"What? What is it?" He begged to know. Eggman opened a small port on the device, and, from the opening, pulled a small, cylindrical object, which was labeled with the letters…. AAA?

"It's out of batteries!" He proclaimed, causing Chris to promptly face-vault. (He should have used Energizer! They keep going and going and going and going…)

Armic, completely oblivious to what a battery even was, sat to the side, looking confused. Chris jumped up.

"So, replace em' already!" He commanded the doctor.

"All I have are AA!" He complained. The young boy looked in disbelief.

"What? Oh, come on, you have to have AAA _somewhere_! Or a charger?" He asked. Eggman shook his head. "Some genius!" The boy shouted, folding his arms.

"Hey! I was balancing formulas for complex ionic compounds when you were in diapers, boy!" Eggy claimed, pointing his plasma gun at him.

Whilst those two argued, Armic sighed, and exited the tent, unnoticed.

The breeze that met his face was cool, and tranquil, just as the quiet, peaceful night. His head tilted toward the sky, the one thing that remained unchanged, and shared his trait of immortality. The stars glittered trillions of miles off, and the moon sported one of it's most elegant phases… the crescent.

It was beautiful, to say the least… unlike the stormy night that preceded this one. However, the boy's enjoyment of the moment of peace was short lived, as he soon felt a presence right… _next_ to him!

His head and body jerked in the direction, and, as misfortune would have it, his heel caught a totaled piece of sidewalk, causing him to trip backwards, sprawled on the ground before this individual…

The jet hedgehog only glanced, and grinned lightly at him, before his scarlet pupils met the moon again. Armic, unsure who this individual was, was frightened for a moment, having left his staff inside (he's as good as helpless without it)… but he sensed no danger. He took the moment to study this new character.

The emerald spirit was nearly entranced with the view of him. This was an individual at total and complete peace… no regrets, no worries, just tranquility. The way he looked upon the moon, his eyes sparkled, like rubies. This person had much love of the night, that much he could tell. His quills were the darkest shade of pitch he'd ever seen… blacker than black, except for the crimson highlights that were strewn exotically amongst his spikes. His cloak, also red, blew in the gentle breeze, was a bit tattered, and gave him a mysterious, somewhat dashing look… one might even go so far as to say gallant. He bore a strange resemblance to Sonic, but only a very vague one… they just happened to be the same size and build, that was about it.

Standing up, Armic's gold eyes softened.

"Oh… forgive me, you sort of snuck up on me." He said, with a welcoming smile. Shadow looked at him, then back up to the stars.

Armic waited for a moment, and then felt awkward.

"Erh… Forgive me… I am called Armic. What is… your name…?" He asked, holding his hand out. Shadow stared at it for a moment, then reached out to shake it.

However, he was unable to answer, and merely looked back to the sky.

A long moment of silence passed, and Armic frowned.

"…You are… Unable to speak…?" He guessed. The sable hedgehog merely nodded, not taking his shimmering garnet eyes from the moon.

Armic turned to look at the moon as well.

Suddenly Shadow turned to the boy again. He looked at the ground for a moment.

"…Yes…?" Armic said, ready to assist in any way possible.

"Armic…? Armic? Where'd you…" Said Chris, poking his head out of their tent. The boy's eyes centered on Shadow, and shrunk. Shadow sparsely recognized the boy, and tensed a bit, but didn't let it show.

"Sh…Shadow?" He half-shouted. The black hedgehog examined the punk rocker's features, but the thing that made him realize it was Chris were his eyes.

"Shadow? What are you talking about, stupid bo-…eh? Shadow?" Came the voice of Doctor Eggman, whom practically fell over backwards in sheer surprise.

Shadow said nothing, but only looked at them. Armic turned and looked at the cloaked life form, and then back toward Chris and Eggman.

"Oh? His name is Shadow?" He said, innocently. Chris shook his head in disbelief, taking a single step forward.

"Shadow… I can't believe it! I thought you were dead!" He said, somewhat excited, somewhat intimidated. Eggman scratched his noggin.

"Well you're more versatile than I thought! I don't think even Sonic could've survived a fall through the Earth's atmosphere…" He mused. Shadow's ear twitched at the mention of his formal rival's name.

"Hey, what's all the commotion out here, can't a bat get a little shut-eye around… wha? Shadow!" Came the silky voice of Rouge. The bat had her pajamas on, well, if you can _call_ clothing that tight pajamas… She rubbed her eyes in astonishment, walking out to examine him closer. Shadow only glared back at her, in that 'what are you looking at?' way he always did. That was enough to let her know.

"Good god, it IS you, Shadow! I… Amy! Cream! Sonic, everyone!" Shouted the bat; eager to rouse everyone out to see that Shadow the hedgehog was, indeed, alive. Shadow held his hand out, as if to stop her, but she just ran off to her tent, ignoring him. He shook his head. This appearance was most… ungraceful, he thought. He'd wanted the situation in which he returned to his old friends to be a bit less… awkward.

"Rouge, you must be seeing things… Shadow's been dead for… huh? Shadow!" Shouted Amy, her teal irises shrinking, and her mouth hanging ajar in sheer awe. Cream came out after her, looking around quietly; wondering if what Rouge had said was really true. Finally the rabbit's eyes locked with Shadow's, and she squeaked.

"Oh my, he really _is_ back!" She said, unable to hide her joy that one she thought to be dead was alive, although they were never 'friends', per se.

Shadow only stood there, feeling horribly anxious, restless, and miserable. He had joy in his heart to see that his old friends were alright, but, as rare as this emotion was for him, he had no clue how to deal with it, and it just made him wish he were invisible. He never liked attracting too much attention to himself. Rouge went into the final tent, and came out, dragging Knuckles by the arm. The irritable red one was cursing, calling her a lunatic, and struggling to get away, but to no avail.

"Rouge, I'm telling you, you're eyesight must be worse than MINE is if you think that Shadow's actually… Uh? Shadow!" He exclaimed, ceasing his resistance and rubbing his eye, squinting to see if it were some kind of trick.

The group gathered around the soot-colored hedgehog, making him feel uneasier than ever. They persisted to attack him with questions, tell him all sorts of things, try to get him to speak with them. All the while poor little Armic went ignored as he ran left and right, trying to explain to them that he was incapable of answering.

Suddenly, something whizzed by everyone, pretty fast, then slumped to the ground before it could really get any farther.

"OWCH!" It shouted…

It was Sonic, of course.

Everyone just stared, until Amy finally realized what happened, and put her hands on her hips.

"Sonic the hedgehog! What's wrong with you? You can't run yet, you idiot! It hasn't even been a whole day, yet!" She scolded, helping him up. He just winced at his own pain, unable to deny her, as his body had already proved her point.

A moment passed, and Shadow and Sonic just stared at one another, unsure what to do, what to say. Nobody dared speak, because everyone knew, Sonic and Shadow had a certain… kinship, one that nobody could really explain. At first it was rivalry, then partnership, and eventually the two believed in each other more than anyone else. For Sonic and Shadow both, it was like seeing a long lost brother.

With a simple grin, the injured blue hero managed to abolish a lot of the tension in the air.

"I _knew_ you weren't dead." Was all he said. And it was true. Sonic never once doubted that Shadow was alive after he heard about the 'mysterious hero, cloaked in midnight' on the news. Shadow only folded his arms, closed his eyes, and smiled, looking smug.

Somebody expected him to say something, but it was silent. Sonic was the first to detect that something was wrong here.

"…Shadow? You…?" Was all he managed to say before Armic stepped in.

"Can you not tell? He is mute. He cannot answer you vocally…" He said, huffing and puffing. He'd fought through the crowd trying to explain it, but up until now, he'd gone ignored. Everyone looked at him, then at Shadow.

The coal-quilled hedgehog merely nodded. Chris scratched the back of his head.

"Wow… That is NOT cool… I can't imagine what it must be like… I'm real sorry, Shadow..." He said. Amy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it must be horrible, not being able to talk!" She said. Sonic began to chuckle, making everyone stare.

"Heh, we all know Amy couldn't live without _her_ blabbermouth, that's for sure." He said, ever the jester. Shadow couldn't help but grin, and several others laughed, but most everyone else was smarter than to mess with the pink time bomb.

"scoff How DARE you! You… blue pig!" She shouted, as she punched him square in the nose, leaving him on the ground, spirals in his eyes, and stars circling above his head.

She went to the far side of the group, and folded her arms, turning her back to him, a vein of rage still popping out of her head. Sonic sat up and wiped his nose, to make sure it wasn't bleeding.

"Owww… Dang, woman, can't you take a joke?" He said, sneezing once. Shadow was grinning widely, exposing his fangs, but not purposefully. Sonic just glared at him.

"What are YOU smirkin' at?" He asked, causing the black hedgehog's grin widen. Sonic scoffed.

"Yeah yeah, bite me. Oh… On second thought… with THOSE chompers, you can bite yourself." He said, slightly intimidated by the pointy canines. Everyone looked to see, and Shadow wasn't fast enough to hide his grin.

"Oh, great. Now I'm not the _only_ one." Rouge mused, smiling a little to show off her bat-like fangs.

"Yikes! Shadow, you should see a dentist about that… Last time I checked, hedgehog's aren't supposed to be carnivorous…" Said Chris. Sonic cracked his neck a little.

"Dude, you're forgetting that I eat chilidogs. That has lots of red meat on it." He told the boy. Chris scratched his head.

"But I've seen you eat salad before…" He countered, folding his arms. Before Sonic could respond, Amy interjected.

"Chris, we're omnivorous, just like you are. We've evolved beyond the hedgehog's you read about in textbooks and national geographic magazine, obviously." She said, still seeming a bit mad.

"I'm a vegetarian…" Cream admitted. Amy just sweatdropped, and stopped talking, keeping her back turned to the group.

"Ok, so it's complicated. But, I still don't recall you having fangs, Shadow… Something you wanna tell us… oh wait…" She trailed, realizing that wasn't possible.

"…How should we go about this…? Uh, maybe you could write something down!" Said Sonic, a light bulb appearing above his head. "Yeah! That's it! Anyone got any paper?" He asked… Everyone just shook their heads, and the light bulb burnt out, replaced by a sweatdrop.

Shadow tried sign language, but nobody recognized it. He tried the simpler sign language using the alphabet to spell things out, like with Tails, but nobody could decipher that, either.

Eventually, the black hedgehog was making things up, in a ridiculous-looking bout of charades that everyone guessed at hopelessly.

He smacked himself on the forehead, at how hopeless the situation was. He was hoping Tails would be able to translate for him, but not only was the kit not present, but he noticed Eggman holding his device as well… and the device was turned off.

A moment passed, and nobody could think of a plausible way to communicate with Shadow.

"Jeez. If I knew this was gonna to be so hard I would've learned sign language." Sonic said, scratching his head. Amy was still facing away from them, stubborn thing.

"Pah? You? Sit still and actually _learn_ something? I'll believe that when I see it!" She said, her voice still very edgy. Sonic looked at the ground frowning. He shook his head, and decided to swallow his pride and humble himself to the girl.

"Ok Ok…I'm sorry Amy… Don't be mad at me anymore, please?" He asked. She opened her eyes, and her features softened a little bit, as she considered forgiving him.

"…Well…" She trailed, turning around and looking pensive. He winked at her.

"Hey, had I known you had such a mean right hook, I'd a never even said it." He told her, rubbing his nose where she'd popped him. Her anger melted completely and she smiled.

"Oh, alright. I forgive you…" She said, making Armic and Cream smile with relief. Neither liked it when Amy was upset. She walked back over to Sonic and helped him up from the ground, supporting him like before.

"Well, it's all fine and dandy that you two have made up, but that doesn't solve our problem." Said Knuckles, bringing everyone back to the matter at hand. Amy and Sonic both looked at the ground, as if thinking hard.

Suddenly, little Armic gasped, as if realizing something.

"Goodness, of course! Oh, but I am foolish! Why did I not think of this sooner?" He said, frantically searching his pockets.

"Armic…?" Said Cream, looking at him curiously. He looked panicked a bit, but also eager.

After what seemed like five minutes of the boy rustling around his robes seeking something, he pulled out a very small pouch from deep within his garb.

"Yes! I still have it!" He shouted gleefully. Nobody said anything, but just stared at him curiously, wondering what would happen next. The young immortal opened the pouch and stuck his smallish hand into it, searching blindly until he finally found what he was seeking.

"Ah-hah! There you are!" He said, pulling from the bag a small, deep violet gemstone, which had a strange symbol carved into it.

Rouge's eyes lit up as she saw the stone, which redefined the night-sky in the form of a jewel.

He held the rock out for everyone to see, and everyone examined it.

"That's a very pretty rock, Armic… what's it for?" Cream asked.

"Yeah, what's that have to do with anything?" Sonic asked, uninterested.

"Hehe, I'll show you." He said, as he held the gemstone up high, and began chanting:

"_Commune comes in many forms; the smallest song can calm great storms, but true expression need not be meek, provided it can simply speak. So talkers weep, and mute rejoice, give this silent one a voice!" _

The royal purple gem sparkled, then glowed, until finally, as Armic's rhyme came to a close, it let off a brilliant light. Everyone covered their eyes, astonished beyond words.

Armic brought the gem down, and traced the air with it, the light from the strange rock leaving a neon purple trail behind it. Facing Shadow, he drew an odd glyph in the air using the trail, and it glowed brighter than ever. The glyph twirled about in the air, and shot fourth toward the ebony hedgehog. Too shocked to avoid it, it hit him square in the throat, branding its symbol into his flesh. It singed him, and hurt, and he fell to the ground, clinching his throat.

"G-Gahk!" He shouted.

…The wind blew, and all were silent… Finally the black hedgehog looked up, eyes showing his own astonishment. Everyone looked amazed, frightened, and many other words, but mostly shocked, bar Armic, whom was grinning hugely, the gemstone in his hands smoking as if it had been on fire.

"…How…Is it possible?" The vampire said, unable to give the feat logic.

End Chapter 

Hehe, you wanna know the answer to Shadow's question? Tune in next time and maybe Armic will explain what the hell, and how the hell he just performed such a miracle with nothing but a shiny rock and a few rhymes.

So yeah, you KNOW you wanna know! Oh, by the way, I know it took FOREVER, but it's finally here… chapter 20! Sorry everyone, for the long wait. There's really no excuse for making you wait so unbelievably long, suffice to say I had some seriously nasty writer's block. Yeah, I know.

I rarely get writer's block, but when I DO get it, it generally lasts a long time, and it irritates me to no ends. But I'm back in business, and you can hope to see chapter 21 before the week ends. Also, I have two other stories, not to mention a few new ones that I'm not just going to ignore, so be sure to check on those, too… I'd really love to get reviews on them.

Oh, and just to let you know, when I get reviews I REALLY like, I make a note to check out the person who left it's profile… and yes, their stories. If only for a thank-you review from yours-truly, be sure to not only review this, but all my stories. Some may be a tad confusing, but that's just my style of writing. I don't just make stuff up without at least a FAIRLY logical explanation, but sometimes it's provided not immediately, but later on, since that goes with the flow of the story better. For instance, right now you probably have absolutely no clue how the hell Armic just pulled a Jesus and cured Shadow's voice (permanently? Read the next chap and maybe you'll find out), but when, or IF I explain it in the next chapter (if I don't by some chance, it will be in the one after), you'll read it and say "OHHHHHHHHHH!" Which is something I like to do with my writing… rouses your curiosity and keeps you reading.

Not only that, but cliffhangers are something I just love doing, though sometimes, for the sake of length, I can't leave off exactly where I want. But I got lucky this time

Ok, so enough of my blabbering, just… PLEASE review. It's only three stories, and if you'd leave one review for each I'd love you forever. Ok, I'm done blabbering now… Until chapter 21, my darlings.


	21. Chapter 21

Well, I promised you more Miles Foxy by the end of the week, and I'll live up to that!

Of course, I'm only SO fast, and by 'the end of the week', I meant the end of my spring break, meaning Sunday. It's… uh, currently 6:13 AM on a Friday morning, (yeah, I'm nocturnal, haven't slept yet, but I'm just like that) but… well, who knows! It's not my style to plan things, so I'll just wing it.

Let's see where the story goes, ah?

"_**Miles 'Foxy' Prower!" Chapter 21: "The Enmity Thickens"**_

"Fire in the hole!" Shouted the young GUN lieutenant, making a motion with his arm.

The battlefield, another gray, ruined city, erupted with noise. Thousands of pistols cracked like whips, bombs exploded in a mighty, thunderous sound that could only be described as loud, and frightening. Generals barked orders at their men, jet planes whizzed across the sky, leaving a tearing sonic boom in their wake… the noise… the commotion, the utter calamity… it only grew louder, until you couldn't tell what you were hearing any more… it all meshed together, until it was a huge, unbearable conglomeration of sheer terror… and all you know is it's noise… Was this the sound of chaos?

The sounds finally fade, though you still hear the horrible reminder of a ringing that the noise left in it's wake, regardless.

The dust covered faces of the young soldiers, willing to give their life for their cause, looked on hopefully, as the smoke cleared…

One soldier, a young, handsome man's eyes shrank, as he looked on in utter astonishment… It was not the look of what he had done… It was the look of what he was not able to do.

"I…It's…" He uttered, surrounded by the sound of a thousand men… shaking in their boots.

"_Hahahaha… Foolish mortals."_ Said the mighty titan, looking down upon them, unscratched by even their greatest weapons.

The mighty Master Emerald Titan, within which dwelled the fearsome demon Bacillus, held out it's hand, this simple motion causing every man, mere ants waiting to be crushed, flinch considerably. Though they were not cowards… being brave when their situation was so terribly hopeless… it was not an easy thing to do.

"_Ah… The enmity is thick… Yes… Enmity is truly a malevolent, wonderful thing… It is the root of all chaos. It leads to anguish, then to anger, then to destruction, which in turn creates impurity, giving birth to true chaos. Hahaha… Hopeless human filth… Allow me to shed a tear to commemorate your impending doom." _Said the mighty giant. A moment passed… and from the glowing, neon green eyes of the Titan, dripped a single speck of water.

The drop splashed on the ground, before the army, whom stared at it, in confusion. But, foolish or not, all of them felt the ominous, evil feeling that only comes with pointless death, and…

As Bacillus pointed out, enmity.

Suddenly, the tear grew, and the men closest to it leaped back, and aimed their weapons at it, looks of pure horror etched into many of their battle-smudged faces. The water grew into a puddle, then into several puddles… It just kept multiplying.

The puddles bubbled ominously… seeming to boil. The troops backed up, looking at those in command of their unit, eyes questioning, but receiving only an equally unsure, confused look, rather than an order.

Then, something horrifying happened… The water, it rose, and took a bizarre shape… Each puddle began to stir, and rise in a similar manner… Until a familiar-looking liquid creature formed, this time in spades.

"It's…! It's the Chaos creature!" Said one soldier, remembering the water-like being, which had been all over the news years ago.

"…Chaos creatures!" Another corrected, terrified by the growing numbers.

The creature in front of the others, slightly bigger, tilted it's head, and looked at them.

A moment passed, and the two armies, one much larger, but still vastly intimidated, stared each other down.

"….YAHHHHHHHHHH!" Came the rebel-like battle cry from a private, and immediately after, the rat-at-at-tat of his rapid-fire rifle.

The bullets wasted no time reaching their targets… and zipping right through them, before falling hopelessly to the ground. Another dragging, horrendously long moment of terror clawed it's way across the army, before the puppeteer spoke:

"_This is but a small fragment of my power… I will enjoy watching it decimate you… Kill them." _At the very moment the order was given, the blops of chaos charged, and the troops of GUN were instantly divided and confused…

Some attacked, either in fear, or in bravery, though none struck any sort of weakness. Many fled, and others just stood their, shaking. The creatures… They were more than formidable… And, sadly, it became exceedingly obvious that the soldiers of Earth didn't stand a chance.

-------+---+

Far off in the distance, upon a totaled building, stood a mysterious figure, speculating from afar. The wind blew his scarf, but his hood remained over his head, keeping the person's identity hidden. Under the hood, though you could not see the face, you could see the neon pink eyes flash, almost glowing. They narrowed, seeming to examine the mayhem that unfolded, and the giant amidst all of it. No emotion bar a grim sense of purpose enchanted the presence.

The mystery character pulled from his pockets, an odd, unidentifiable device, which he flipped open with his gloved palm. The creature's bodily structure was human, for the most part, but he wore a strange, unearthly manner of clothes, which looked like a mesh of ceramic plating and an adhesive material that hugged his body. It was some kind of suit, it appeared.

The device, similar in shape to a cell phone lit up, and projected a screen of light, upon which was the face of a beautiful, platinum-blonde woman. She looked human… the only noticeable difference were her ears, which were longer, and pointed downward.

"**_fzzt_** Wyatt, do you read?**_crak_**" Said the woman on the high-tech device's screen.

"Roger, just barely. This planet has poor reception." 'Wyatt' told her, pulling from his sack of equipment another device, similar to a laptop, but far more technically advanced.

"**_snap_**-k. What are your specs on the cause of the current flux of power on that planet?" She asked. He pressed a few keys on the strange device he'd set out to the side, and examined the screen.

"I'm doing a scan as we speak, be patient, Tiffany." He told her, as he tapped a few more keys meticulously. He stared at the screen for a moment. "Oh, well this is interesting."

"What did you find out?"

"Looks like we got a runner. Bacillus, a Valbozian. Looks like he escaped his sentence and fled to this planet more than two millinia ago. The tracking device they planted inside of him after he stood trial is still functioning, even after all that time, it seems." Said Wyatt.

"So that's what that signal was… wait, two thousand years? What measure of year are you using?" She asked.

"Well, on this planet, it's called Earth by the way, looks like time for a year's measured in 365 twenty-four hour days. That's really not far off from the system on Lode."

"That's strange… I don't recall reading or hearing anything about Valbozians having such a long life span. It exceeds more than two of ours…" She explained. Wyatt removed his hood, revealing short, yet unruly hair a similar hue of hers. Their eyes were the same pink as well, and they also shared the trait of long ears, but Wyatt had a black stripe on the side of his face.

"Well, maybe we got lucky. He's still got a huge bounty on his head, and by the looks of things, he must be an old geezer by now." Said the young man, continuing his scan for more information.

"There's still a bounty after all this time? What is it?" She asked him.

"Half a million credits. This guy must've done something seriously illegal, by the looks of it." He explained.

"It was probably murder, Wyatt, he's probably _dangerous_. Do you want me to materialize you a weapon through subspace?" She asked him. He looked at her as if she were crazy.

"SUBspace? What are we, heathens? That form of teleportation is _way_ too out-of-date to work on a planet with such a high atmospheric pressure, Tiff, are you nuts?" He asked, rhetorically.

"Well, it's all we have at the moment, until we can earn enough credits to do some renovations to our tele-module, Wy, so you'll just have to bring that convict in to the intergalactic authorities if you want to upgrade." She said, casting him a stern look over the screen. "Do you already _have_ a weapon?"

"Yeah, I brought the Gravitic Pulse Cannon, no worries." He said, though no weapon was visibly present.

"THAT thing? It's huge! Are you using a pre-existing subspace to store it?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"Yeah, but it's not a subspace, that's too unstable. I'm using gravitic space and a B.E. Switch. It's a lot more efficient than carrying it around wherever I go." He explained to her. She looked angry for a minute.

"Where in the world did you get that kind of an upgrade! How much did it cost? Not even the intergalactic police have gravitic space technology!" She lectured.

"Not standard issue, no, but the higher ranks use it." He told her, seeming more laid back.

"It's ILLEGAL for a civilian to carry techs of that level on a planet with such a low level of development! And where in the world did you get a B.E. Switch attachment? How much did THAT cost? Binary Existence equipment isn't cheap, you know!" She said, continuing to lecture him. By his face, you could tell he was getting annoyed at this point with her.

"I can't operate the cannon's gravitic space _without_ one, Tiffany. And I can't use subspace on this planet without causing an atmospheric imbalance, and I CERTAINLY can't lug that thing around with me on this rock, with it's ridiculous gravitational pull…"

"What? Is the gravity of that planet stronger than Lode's?" She asked him, seeming worried now. He was noticeably sweating, now that she was paying attention.

"Yeah, according to my scan it's about 1.25 times bigger than our planet, so it's gravitational field is that much stronger. I think I should be all right though, I'll get used to it." Wyatt explained.

"Ok… Did you bring any shields?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"Just the emergency electro-magnetic units on my suit, why?" He asked.

"scoff I swear, Wyatt, you're so reckless! You may be on a less developed planet, but if the Earthling's are immune to the gravity there, they're probably physically stronger than you are, being a Lodian." She said to him, explaining the dangers.

"Yeah yeah. The Earthling's look more or less like humanoids descended from primates, just like us, bar a few little differences. If they get hostile, I'll just tell them I'm an Earthling." He told her, trying to make her stop worrying. She shook her head at him.

"You always make things sound so easy. What about the Valbozian? That race is notorious for it's intelligence and psychological control over inanimate AND animate objects… You could get in trouble, big time, if something goes wrong with your equipment." She informed him.

"Well you don't have to jinx me, god. And I know what a Valbozian is, Tiff, I've been to Valboz." He chuckled at her a little. "Jeez, you worry too much."

"And you don't worry enough! Don't come crying to me when you find yourself in a jam, no shields to protect you." She countered.

"I'll be fine." He assured her.

"You better be. Ok… one last thing, do you have your communicator?" She asked.

"Can't live without one." He said, holding the device up to show her. She nodded.

"Alright. Carry on with your extraction and try not to make too much of a clamber with that toy of yours. You're on a backwater planet in a whole different galaxy, you have to strive to keep a low profile."

"I know, I know, I've done this a million times before. Wyatt out." He said, closing the gadget he was using to communicate with her, and putting it in his rucksack, along with the rest of his equipment. He pulled the hood back over his head, and looked at the carnage in the distance one last time, before his body was consumed in light, and disappeared altogether.

------+

"Shoot… Looks like the Nano-Holo's really run out of power. I can't seem to boot it up." Said the kit, talking to himself as he often did when alone. He rubbed his temples in frustration.

"I could've rooted out the emergency supply, but apparently somebody's tinkered with it… Probably Eggman."

Nobody to answer but himself, he nodded his agreement.

The fox-boy paced about his workshop, mind hard at work on a means of destroying the titan. The first thing he thought of, of course was the Typhoon. B.O.O.S.T. was a formidable weapon, for sure, but he was skeptical if it would be enough. Even if he could get a lock, and empty all his ammunition into the titan, if it were to survive, he'd be toast. Also, from what he'd seen in the past, Super Sonic had more force behind one of his attacks than a nuclear warhead, and HE couldn't even defeat the giant.

"…Dammit, we don't have time to be indecisive, Tails!" He told himself, slamming his fist on his table.

Tails had seen the destruction the titan had unleashed upon several cities now, and as he was sitting here, thinking, he knew the beast was rending another city asunder. If they didn't stop him quick, he'd tear the country apart, heck even the world. Worried, the boy pulled from his pocket his master remote, and flicked his tv on. It was already turned to the news.

"…-nd the world is in a state of global urgency, as the giant, emerald-like being is, even at this very moment, tearing South Island apart. The best soldiers GUN has to offer are fighting, but as you can see, these strange, liquid like creatures that reports say…"

At that point, a film clip of said creatures came up, and Tails couldn't believe his eyes.

"Ch-Chaos? How can that be…?" The vulpine genius questioned, remembering the fight with the watery being long ago… He thought and thought, and his brilliant mind finally started to make sense out of it all.

"…So Chaos must've been created by Bacillus the whole time! Great, just great, now we not only have the titan, but an army of Chaos's to deal with!" He said, grumbling irritably as he tried to think of something.

"Well, at least this time they can't power themselves up with the chaos emeralds…" He said, trying to think positively for a change. He smiled rather hopelessly, and it faded as his head slumped.

"sigh… Something doesn't fit. Why did Bacillus send out only one Chaos all those years ago if he had the capability of doing this? Why…" He thought, and thought, and finally, his mind stumbled on something.

"…The hymn!" He shouted, eyes wide. He pulled out a piece of paper and started jotting random thoughts down, as he often did.

"I don't know the specifics, but it seems like the hymn is the key that both locks and unleashes whether, and in what amount Bacillus's power is present… and from what Armic said it's determined by the user's will… so… If Eggman released some of the demon's power by reciting the hymn, then somebody with pure intentions should be able to use it to lock it back up… right?" He asked himself.

He didn't really know the answer, but if the logic provided by Armic were true, and if he weren't misconceiving the information, it _should_ work.

However, the boy was still skeptical. He didn't like running on theories that had high probability of being unfounded, but he found that he really had no other choice. He pulled out his cell phone and started dialing a familiar number….

-+-+

The sable hedgehog's eyes shrank as he shook his head in disbelief. What had happened? This was… a miracle? No, such things did not exist, he thought.

Shadow walked up and grabbed the boy by the collar, his eyes wild and questioning.

"What did you just do?" He demanded to know, calmly, but very grimly.

Everyone just stared, as Armic continued to smile, knowing he'd done no wrong. He held up the gemstone, which was now solid black, and no longer shimmered. A wind picked up, and, to everyone's astonishment, the thing turned to ash and blew away in the wind. He gave Shadow a very welcoming look.

"Please, I've done you no wrong… I know it hurt, but it was worth being able to talk again, was it not?" He asked. Shadow just looked skeptical for a second, then realized he was being unfair, and let the boy go. The hedgehog was silent for a moment, looking very deep in thought. He looked up after a moment.

"Forgive me, but I'd like to know exactly what you just did to me, and how you did it." He said, his voice the same as it had always been, smooth, dark, and mysterious.

"I know, how in the world did you give Shadow his voice back, Armic?" Asked Amy, her eyes practically bugging out, still, at what she'd seen moments earlier. Everyone was still in a serious state of shock from the events that unfolded after the young immortal performed such an amazing trick. Armic only scratched the back of his head modestly, and smiled.

"Easy now, don't fret, I shall explain the phenomena. Actually, considering what I've already told you all, you should already _know_ what I just did. Were sir Tails and his magic device present, he would've already figured it out, I gather." He mused, seeming to look up to the fox's intelligence. He saw that nobody was humoring his rambling, so he just sweatdropped and cleared his throat, ready to explain…

Briiing. Briiiing.

Everyone looked around for a moment as the noise interrupted a much-desired explanation, and eventually they found the source…

Chris sweatdropped as they all stared at him. He pulled out his cell phone awkwardly, and looked at the ID. His eyes grew wide when he looked at it.

"Oh! I have to take this… I'll just uh… You guys go on ahead, you can tell me later." He explained, answering it and walking into his tent.

Armic cocked his head, looking confused.

"Why would anyone carry such an inconvenient device?" He asked. Amy shook her head, and sighed.

"It's only inconvenient when people leave it on all the time..." She said. Most nodded, as the 'fond' memories of countless movies and church services ruined because some jackass forgot to turn off their cell came flooding back to them. Armic didn't look as though he understood, but he cast the thought aside, for the time.

"Well, anyway, as I was saying… What you just saw was what is called Crystology. It's a powerful, yet fundamental form of magic that can be channeled through gemstones, or Crystals." He explained. Rouge, who'd been paying attention more than anyone else during the parts of Armic's explanation that involved jewels, suddenly realized what he was talking about.

"Oh, now I remember… You said that the people of Crystal Kingdom had a sacred art of magic that was manipulated through the use of gems. Was that what you just did…?" She asked. She had been awfully sad to see the stone turn to ash, but she had to admit, she was fascinated. He nodded, happy that she understood.

"Yes my lady, it was. It's not that complicated really… Upon studies that our alchemists and runologists did long ago, certain symbols, or Glyphs, have certain capabilities when combined with specially grown gems." He turned to Shadow. "The gem you just saw me use for that little spell was called a Gossip Crystal, used especially in cases such as yours. Back in the day of Crystal Kingdom, people used that spell for such a little thing as a common cough." He added. Shadow folded his arms, impressed.

"…That's amazing. I suppose I should be thanking you, then." He said, bowing just a bit. Armic scratched his head modestly.

"Oh, it was nothing really, Crystology's very easy to learn, but apparently it's extinct, since none of you've ever seen it." He said.

Rouge's ears perked up when she heard him say that it was easy to learn, and she began to wonder…

Armic continued rambling on about it, regardless.

"The catch of the art is the fact that each crystal can only handle one spell, and there's also the difficulty of knowing what gem does what, what symbol it must be inscribed with, which glyph you should draw, what the glyph does, and all that. Not to mention the hardship of growing them…" He said, putting his little bag back into his pocket.

"Yeah, and that little rhyming chant thingy must be hard to memorize, too, eh?" Sonic added. Armic looked at the hedgehog for a moment, confused. When he realized what he was talking about, he laughed.

"Ahahaha! Oh that? No, no, that was just for show, I made _that_ up on the spur of the moment." He admitted, causing everybody to promptly face-vault.

Shadow's face softened and he shook his head, returning to his ever-serious self.

"Getting back to the matter at hand, I have something to say to you all. I came here because I heard Armic's explanation of the situation, and I think I have a pl…" He began, but he was cut off by Chris.

"Hey everybody! Awesome news! Tails has a plan on how to stop the Titan, and I really think it might work!" He shouted, unable to hide his excitement. Shadow grumbled irritably, but nobody noticed. He remembered only one thing about his voice… He didn't like being interrupted when he was using it.

"Bout time! What is it?" Sonic asked, not as ecstatic as the others were becoming, as he'd expected this of his genius friend, but still curious.

"Well, he says he wants to talk to Armic about it." He said, holding the cell phone out to the boy.

A moment passed, and the Chaos boy just looked at the device, wondering what he was supposed to do. Before anyone else could say anything, Tails's voice could be barely heard from the phone:

"You put it up to your ear, Armic." He said. Armic jumped a little.

"What manner of sorcery is this?" He asked, feeling intimidated by the compact item.

"Armic, it's just a phone. It's a device that allows you to talk to somebody far away without having to visit them." Cream explained, her smile reassuring him that it was safe. Reluctantly, the boy took the device, and held it awkwardly toward his head, facing his ear.

"H-…hello?" He said. Everyone in the group sweatdropped.

"Armic, you're holding it backwards…" Explained Chris, an apathetic smile on his face.

"Oh, sorry." He said, seeming embarrassed as he flipped the gadget around the right way. "Um…Sir Tails?"

"Just Tails is fine." The kit said on the other line.

"Oh, very well. You had something you wanted to tell me?" He asked.

"Yeah. I've come up with an idea for how to defeat, or at least weaken the Titan, but I thought I'd run it by you to see if it might really work."

"Oh, very well, I'm listening."

"Well…"

Everyone stared on as Armic listened to Tails's words, and pretty much only Cream could hear what they were saying, and Chris, who more or less already knew was just standing there, waiting for something to happen. Everyone else had the look of curiosity on their face, dying to know what the fox boy had cooked up.

Armic nodded several times, and gave Tails a little bit of feedback, until finally the boy scratched his chin, looking pensive.

"Hmm... I'd never thought of that… Actually, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work, but then again, the hymn is a very powerful spell. I'm really not sure what will happen if we use it…" He said. Everyone's ears perked up, and became ever more curious. Shadow scoffed.

"Prower beat me to it. That was _my_ plan." He said, sourly, folding his arms. Sonic chuckled at him.

"Yeah, yeah, sure it was." He teased. Shadow only looked at him bitterly, and then to the sky.

Armic nodded again.

"I agree, it's worth a try, but I have a bad feeling. We should be careful if we are to do that. But it's ok, I have a back-up plan." He said, looking in Sonic's direction for a moment. Sonic cocked his head, but smiled.

Armic nodded once more.

"You'll see." He told Tails simply.

After another moment, Armic looked around, and handed Chris the phone. He smiled.

"This era is so strange." He said, probably referring to the technological advances. Chris smiled.

"Heh, if you think a cell phone is weird, you should see some of the gadgets Tails comes up with." He said, reflecting on some of the good ol' days, when Tails was always inventing something new and interesting. Everyone looked at Armic.

"So what's the plan?" Rouge asked. He looked pensive for a moment.

"It's not that complicated, really…but… I think all of you should get some sleep, for the time being." He said, noticing Cream's drooping eyelids. "I'll explain it to you in the morning, if that's alright with everyone."

Everybody, more or less nodded, feeling sleepy after a night filled with surprises. Chris scratched his neck.

"Yeah, me and Cream haven't slept in the longest time…" He clarified, looking at the girl, who nodded. Sonic yawned.

"Sleep it is! If any of you wake me up, I'll vaporize you!" Said Eggman, stretching, and yawning, all the while trying to threaten people with his plasma pistol. Sonic laughed as he watched the doctor slink into the tent drowsily.

"Way ahead of ya, pal! Night all." He said, going back to his tent with Amy's assistance. The girl walked Sonic to his cot, tucked him in, and promptly came out and went to her own tent after.

Bidding good night to everyone in the vicinity, Cream followed Amy back to her tent, Knuckles went back not long after Sonic, and eventually everyone had gone back into their tent, bar Rouge, Shadow, and Armic.

"Well… I guess I should go back as well. Shadow? Would you like to…" Armic began to offer, but Shadow cut him off.

"No, that's alright, you've done enough for me already. Besides, I don't sleep during the night." He admitted. Rouge nodded, knowing she used to be the same way, nocturnal by nature.

With that, Shadow began to take his leave, seeming hurried, as he could feel the sunrise nearing them.

"Wait, where are you going?" Armic asked him. He turned his head back.

"It's complicated, I'll tell you some other time. Suffice to say, I wouldn't be caught dead in sunlight…" He told them. They didn't laugh, because they didn't understand that it was a joke. He frowned. "…You'll see me again tomorrow night… I'll tell you all about it then. Until that time, goodbye." He said, walking off, in search of a good shelter for the coming day.

Before he could disappear from sight, however, he stopped once more, and turned around one last time, looking at Armic. "Thank you again. The debt shall be repaid, that I swear." He told him. Armic only smiled and waved.

And with that, the raven hedgehog disappeared into the night.

Armic looked up at the sky, and Rouge smiled, looking up with him. She had taken a liking to the boy, to say the least, after all the things he'd done. A moment of quiet passed between them, nothing to do but stare up and count the stars. Rouge let out a long, deep breath, seeming relieved now that all the ruckus had passed, at least for the time.

"Just you and me now, eh?" She said, looking at him. Armic didn't notice until she said that, and looked at her. He smiled, and nodded.

Another moment passed, and suddenly Armic turned to her again.

"Miss Rouge." He said. She looked at him.

"Yes, jewel boy?" She said, teasing him. He smiled at that, but then, he smiled at everything, it seemed.

"…I wanted to say… that you have a powerful Crystological force, much stronger than any of the others… It's even stronger than mine." He explained. She looked interested and gave him her undivided attention.

"Crystological force?" She parroted, curious as to what that was exactly. He nodded.

"Yes, it's… well, it's complicated, but in short, it's a person's aptitude for channeling the power of gemstones. After you've been exposed to the art for a while, you can sort of sense it. Yours is the strongest I've felt in ages." He said. It was quiet for a second, and he looked down shyly. "You'd make a fine Crystologist." He added.

She chuckled, seeming flattered.

"Well, I've always had a certain love for pretty rocks." She admitted. He laughed at her, and she grinned, her aquamarine eyes trailing from the sky to the ground, looking pensive.

Another moment passed. It wasn't exactly awkward, nor was it mellow or soothing… it was just silence.

"…Armic." She called. He turned his attention to her, ready to help, as always.

"Yes, Miss Rouge?"

For once, the bat actually looked a tad shy about what she was about to ask him. She decided to try and be subtle about it.

"…So… you said that Crystology was easy to learn…?" She prodded gently, cautiously.

He looked at her, surprised at first, but then he just smiled. He could see in her eyes what she was trying to ask him, and he was more than happy to comply; it was his joy to help his new friends in any way he could.

"…I'll teach you." He said.

End Chapter 

Ohhhhhhhhhhh! Looks like Armic's gonna teach Rouge how to do a little magic! Do you think she'll be any good at it? And what of Tails's (well, it was technically Shadow's first) plan? Will it work, or will Armic have to cop out plan B? And what IS plan B, I wonder? (no, I'm not that stupid, it's MY plot twist, for god's sake)

And who in the world are these mysterious Ocs (yes, they're OC's… Hey, shut up, chill… you'll warm up to them… I hope.) from another world, and what are they doing here?

You want to know the answers to all of these horrible, horrible questions? THEN REVIEW, DAMMIT! Hahahaha!

…No seriously, please? I need them. NEED… MORE…. (can you tell I'm REALLY tired of writing at this point? Yeah, I'm all burnt out…)

Ok so, yeah, I know adding even MORE complications isn't exactly going to help this story, but if you have a good sense of comprehension then there's no problem, right? It's not too confusing to _me_… and I want my readers to be on the same level of intellect as I am! Not TOO awfully hard, right? Heh. Yeah, don't answer that.

And yeah, I know, this one was kind of short, but It was practically a double-update! Gimme a break!

But anyway, here it is, as I promised, before the end of the week. Whew! I'm tired… Well, until next chapter… Be ready, it might be here sooner than you think! Sayonara!


	22. Chapter 22

Okay, I am officially back from the dead! GOD! This story needed an update SO bad.

But now that it's finally here, my conscience is clear! (hey, that rhymed!)

Anyway, sorry I've been gone for so long people, I have absolutely no earthly idea as to what possessed me to stay away from this story for such an unnerving period of time! I missed you all too much to forget though, so I'm back, and I got story! So, let's cut right to the chase then, shall we?

"Miles 'Foxy' Prower!" Chapter 22: "Awkward Beginnings" 

"What… Am I supposed to do again?" She bleated, perplexed, and suddenly awkward. The blond boy never once opened his eyes or moved anything but his lips.

"Center your thoughts, then center yourself. Imagine every piece of information that's ever entered your consciousness, every little detail, and the even smaller details attached. Imagine how they are all related, filter nothing, put your mind to think of not only people and places, but stars and galaxies… Think of everything you've ever learned, everything you've ever experienced… Now think of everything else. Try not to lose any of it, keep it all centered in your mind… But stay at peace…"

Rouge did as he said. She brought all things that were important to her first, then all things presently happening to her, all things that had happened in her past… even things that had not yet happened, she brought into her mind. Every single thought she'd ever had, she brought into her mental clearing. It felt a little cluttered, and as it accumulated, it felt _very_ cluttered. Very frustrating. She didn't like it.

Nobody would have liked it.

"…I don't like this at all…" She stated, squinting.

"Good, you're not supposed to. Hold for just a little longer…" Armic said. She held. She started to sweat. The bubble of her fragile mind felt as if all the matter within it might make it burst.

However, the young Chaos Spirit did what his Masters before him did, and waited until she was about to break.

"Now, Rouge, I want you to clear your mind completely. As a dust pan collects trash and scoops it aside with one movement, I want you to take all the collected mental images and events floating within your mind and rid yourself of all of it. Scrape it under a carpet somewhere, for another day, until there is only blank, only white, nothing in your mind… Erase all of it."

And she did as he said, happily. She deleted the thoughts all at once, as if it were nothing… and now, it _was _nothing. It felt amazing… but she couldn't think about how it felt. She thought of nothing, sat blank, only relishing the feeling, but not indulging it. She sat motionless, thoughtless.

"Focus on nothing but the sound of the wind around you… The slow pulsations of energy you feel from my voice, my presence… Focus on the power resonating from your own body, with every beat your heart makes. Let that heart beat in tune with mine, and listen for the echoes they leave in their wake…. Collect the excess strength you feel peeling off your body, and use it to make yourself stronger, more aware…"

Rouge felt something welling up inside of her… some sort of power, some sort of energy. She concentrated on it… was that always there? Did she always possess such power? She noticed a lot of it leaking off of her, but, using her mind, she reached out, and re-captured it, and pulled it back to her own being… It was as easy as breathing, and soon, it became the essential to breathing… Subconscious, gentle, and vital.

But her mind was clear of all other things. Focused, but not muddled. A moment of this passed her.

"…And at last, Ms. Rouge, awaken…"

She opened her eyes, and it was like she had just been reborn. Like a flashflood of power surged through her, and yet it wasn't fiery and radical, but peaceful, flowing like a gentle, but mighty stream. She could hear, see, and sense her surroundings better than ever… and she suddenly became conscious of her own power. It was like she was connected to all things, capable of reaching all things, all impossibilities, and it was indescribable.

Armic also opened his eyes, and smiled at her stupefied reaction to his enlightenment. He didn't say anything, but let her take it all in first. She looked at him, and noticed that she now felt him in a different way. She felt his energy, and it was strong… Very strong. But… hers was stronger.

Still, the energy felt warm, like sunbathing, only no glare.

She could feel the energies of the others in their tents… She didn't even have to see them, she just… felt them. Some were weaker than others, one in particular, whom she highly suspected to be Eggman, felt very cold, but all the others felt their own special kind of warm. And she knew who each was just by the feeling she got.

She looked at Armic, unsure what to say for a minute.

"What… _is _this I feel?" She asked him. He smiled lightly.

"That is your Chakra, Ms. Rouge, the Crystological Force that runs through your veins."

"I feel so… Aware… So awake, like…" She trailed.

"Like everything around you is in direct link with you?" He finished for her. She only nodded, still flabbergasted. He stood, and looked down at her.

"This is how I see and perceive the world around me, Ms. Rouge… How I found you and Amy when we first met. This is what is called Chakra Sense. Only those born with a high density of Chakra can do it." He told her. She looked up at him.

"This energy I feel coming from deep within myself, peeling off my body like a rapid river, is this…?" She started to ask. He smiled, and nodded.

"That is your Chakra. You were born with that, and yes, it has always been there. I merely helped you to see it. And now that you can feel it, you can learn to control it, use it, channel it." He told her.

After a moment, she finally stood. She felt like she was ready for anything, but she was also aware, maybe even wiser than before. She looked at him, curious.

"Tell me what Chakra is again… Be more specific." She asked. He smiled, gladdened that her new sense of awareness was truly taking root already. She seemed to realize that she didn't know everything, whereas before she didn't seem to care.

"I was about to." He said. He cleared his throat, and continued:

"All right… Chakra is a permanent span of energy that each and every form of life is born with. Chakra is stable, eternal, and unchanging… From the day you are born, your Chakra remains the same, until the day you die." He added.

"What happens to it when you die?" She asked him.

"A good question. Well, when a person dies, Chakra leaves with their life, and flows freely across the earth, through solids, liquids, anything you can think of that has no life of its own… It floats freely for eternity, never stopping until it is accumulated by a very special type of matter…"

"Crystals?" Rouge inquired. She surprised herself, and the surprise that played across her face for a very brief moment showed it. She knew that she'd never have been able to make such a deduction before, but now she was enlightened. Her intuition had sharpened greatly. Armic smiled.

Truly, by that, the awakening was more of a success than he'd initially thought.

He simply nodded, bright ambery eyes reflecting a certain pride. The bat smiled in return. She was glad she decided to do this… This art had already shown her something that amazed her, wisened her, sharpened her every quality, peaked her potential… Or at least it felt that way. She questioned how she managed to live without it up until now.

"That's right," He said, "The reflective and refractory qualities of all forms of Crystals accumulate the free Chakra that flows from the passing of life… Some Crystals even attract it. But of course, there are exceptions, variants, things that are common in most of life's teachings."

"Sounds complicated." Rouge mused.

"It is." He admitted.

"Goody." Was her sarcastic addendum.

"Alright, um… we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let me first further explain the obstacles you'll encounter when it comes to casting spells…"

As he said this, he pulled from his garbs the small pouch of Crystals that the bat had seen only once before. Rather than choosing just one, he dumped out about half of it's contents.

Rouge counted 23 pebble-sized gemstones, all of them shiny and beautiful.

"These are all lesser Crystals… They're much easier to use because they don't contain as much Chakra, seeing as they're so small." He explained. Rouge looked a tad confused.

"How does the fact that they have less Chakra dictate how easy it is to use them?"

Armic considered for a moment.

"Hmm. It may be best to _show_ you." He said, picking out a single little Crystal, offering it to her.

She examined it. It had a very small symbol inscribed on it, and she could feel a tiny little speck of power coming from it. She took the gem without any hesitation, but the energy, to her surprise, seemed to conflict with her own the very instant she physically touched it. She immediately dropped it, flinching.

Armic laughed, and picked it up.

"It is a strange feeling, I know. I dropped my first Crystal, too." He told her. She grimaced. She'd never gotten as much displeasure out of touching a gemstone as she did just then… It was like getting pricked by a needle.

"Ew… Why does it feel so strange? I'd swear it almost… hurt. But it didn't… It was just weird." She trailed. Armic nodded, rolled the stone around in his palm.

"Oh, it's not so bad once you get used to it. What you just felt was your Chakra repelling the Chakra within this little Spark Crystal."

Rouge cocked her head.

"Chakra repels Chakra? How can that be?" She asked him.

"Surely you've noticed that my Chakra feels different from yours? That each individual Crystal here has a different sort of Chakra in it? That every person's Chakra is unique?"

She thought about it for a moment. He was right, all the Chakra around her, abundant or not, was unique in either a subtle, or significant manner. Hers was the most unique. Armic's was the next, and then the others came one by one, all different types of energy coming from them.

When the teacher saw the student's gears beginning to click, he continued: "There is no Chakra exactly like another, it is much like the snowflake that falls from the sky, some subtly different, some amazingly unique. But one thing is for certain—all different forms of Chakra repel one another. Don't misunderstand what I meant when I told you that Crystals trap and accumulate loose Chakra; It's by no means a good thing. As you can probably see, it's actually quite the nuisance." He said, looking a bit irritated for a split second.

"Because it feels so strange?" The bat asked him. He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, that's not even the half of it. You see, in order to use a Crystal to cast a spell, you must not utilize the Chakra already within it, but you must channel your _own_ Chakra through it." He began.

He knew she was smart enough to figure the rest out, so he let her think on it for a moment.

"Oh, I see… Since Chakra repels, in order to run my own through the Crystal, I've got to push what's already inside of it out… Right?" She said, with a deductive gesture.

The blond Crystologist grinned, and nodded at her.

"Yes, that's it exactly. That is also why lesser gems are easier to use, and greater ones are more difficult." He told her, showing her an example of a greater Crystal, which, she noticed, gave off a much more noticeable amount of energy than the others.

However, when he started to show it to her, another Crystal fell out of his bag, and it didn't look intentional, because he immediately gasped, and scooped it up, stuffing it back into the bag. The Crystal was by far the most eye catching out of the bunch, even though she only had a glimpse of it: a fiery earthen cat's-eye tone. It was large, flat, and octagonal, kind of like an exotic coin. The symbol on it seemed to glow, she remembered. The most peculiar thing about the stone, however, was the fact that it had a string attached to it, as if someone had worn it around their neck…

Rouge didn't like the fact that he was keeping such a fantastic gemstone away from her.

"What's the matter? Don't think I'm ready to even _see_ that one?" She said through a scowl. Armic wiped his forehead, as if he'd just caught something precious and fragile right before it could shatter on the ground. He gave her an apologetic look.

"No, it's just… That Crystal's very, _very _special. If I were to explain something so complicated to you so early in your lesson it would only confuse you…" He dodged, not looking her straight in the eye.

She could feel it, she could sense the fluctuation in not only his emotions, but the energy she was now so attuned to… He was lying to her.

But, after a moment, she decided to let it go. Armic was trying to teach her something, and he'd already taught her a lot… She had no right to hold something so trivial against him… but…

Well, as usual, the lust to have all the world's most beautiful gems all to herself complicated her sense of fairness. Now it was not only knowing it was there; it was feeling it. If what he told her so far was true, than that was his greatest Crystal by far—she could feel the sheer potency and strength it gave off, even masked by all the tinier, less significant Crystals. It stood out like a sore thumb… She hadn't sensed any energy like it in anything other than a Chaos Emerald…

Suddenly she thought of an… interesting question.

"Armic." She asked, stopping him mid-sentence. She didn't really know what he was saying, but it was some reiteration of Chakra's properties or something… She could come back to that if needed.

"Erh, oh, Yes?"

"The energy that comes from a Chaos Emerald… Is that Chakra?" She asked him. He looked taken aback by the question.

"Oh, what a fabulous observation! Yes, Ms. Rouge, it certainly is. But… Well, it's a different sort of Chakra." He added, trailing a bit. The would-be Apprentice Crystologist tilted her head.

"Different how?"

"Well, for one thing, the Chaos Emeralds contain an artificial Chakra—In every way, the energy is exactly the same as regular Chakra, only far more vast, far, far more." He explained.

"Like how vast?"

"Like infinite vast. Surely you know that the energy a Chaos Emerald gives off is limitless?" He asked her. She looked at the ground, seeming to be in deep thought.

What he said made a lot of sense, but it also left many things in the dark. Things she wanted to know.

She looked up.

"How were they created, and how were they infused with limitless energy? How do you _make_ Chakra, anyway…?"

Armic frowned, and shook his head, seeming defeated in a way.

"I admit, much of it's nature eludes me as well… It was not something I had any obligation to understand, but I will tell you what I know." He started.

Rouge nodded, and listened.

"Well, as far as I gather, the Chaos Emeralds were grown over 100 long years, and carved, and enchanted by the Kingdom's finest Crystologists. The enchantments sealed the Emeralds, to where no form of free Chakra could enter, but no form of Chakra could leave. The plan was to grow the Chakra _inside_. However, the spell that was conjured to infuse these special Crystals with limitless energy was so great, so powerful, it required that each of the Emerald had a host body, a host Chakra to serve as a basis for the Emerald to strengthen."

Rouge tried desperately to piece together what Armic was telling her, and found her mind more capable than before, before she cleared it out, and organized. Now she had room to think, and she found that it made her wiser than she ever was. 

"So that's why you're bound to the Emerald!" She stated, grinning at her own deduction. Armic nodded, a little sadly, but smiled.

"That's right. That's also why my energy feels exactly the same as the energy within the Emerald. It's Chakra was duplicated and mass produced from mine."

"I think I get it… So it took your Chakra, and made more of it?" She asked him. Again, he nodded.

"Yes, that was the key effect of the ancient spell. And it still is, and will, for all eternity. As time passes, the energy within a Chaos Emerald grows." Armic trailed, and thought for a moment. "I'll tell you something interesting. We use the term 'infinite' lightly. The reality is, the Emeralds create their own energy, and it continues to grow perpetually."

Rouge gave that some consideration. She nodded a little to herself, concluding that 'infinite' of anything was impossible, but she also understood why they would say that about an emerald, since it was ever growing more energy. It really was quite interesting.

Rouge suddenly had a doozy of an idea, and her face lit up.

"Armic! Could you use Chaos Emeralds to cast a spell?" She asked, eager to know the answer. Armic scratched his head.

"Miss Rouge, I believe your friends have already had encounters with that… I think… Yes, I believe the spell is called Chaos Control." He clarified.

Rouge's mouth dropped open, awed by this revelation.

"Chaos Control is a Crystology spell?" She asked, not believing it herself. The blond boy cocked his head, as if it were obvious.

"Yes, that's right. It's a very special spell, that anyone can use, regardless of Chakra. You merely need to know how to channel your inner energy. I believe Sir Sonic and Sir Shadow have both done it before, from what Miss Amy has told me."

Rouge shook her head, unable to believe it.

"Wait a second, if the Chakra inside the Emerald is so vast, how can someone with weaker Chakra use it to cast a spell?" She asked.

Of the Chakras at the camp, hers was the biggest, followed by Armic's. Sonic's came next, but his was only about half of Armic's. Shadow's was far away, but about the same as Sonic's. Everyone else was either puny or insignificant.

Armic scratched his chin, pondering the question for a moment.

"I'm not sure I know for sure, but I think it has to do with the fact that the Chakra inside a Chaos Emerald is not authentic. It's fake, therefore it could have been designed to not contradict other kinds of Chakra, letting them pass through without pushing what's already in it out. That would also explain why the gems don't atrophy after a single use, because they still have Chakra in them." He explained, seeming in deep thought.

Rouge was thinking hard to, and was a little confused. The pieces didn't all click into place.

"I guess I understand." She said after a minute of hard thinking.

"Chaos Emeralds are exceptions to the common rules of Crystology. They are valuable and revered treasures because they are designed so anyone who can channel Chakra even a little bit can use their power, and also because their power is limitless." He explained.

Rouge sat for a moment, then stood up, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Does this mean I could use Chaos Control?" She asked, aquamarines twinkling with hope. Armic grinned.

"Do you want to find out?" He said, holding his hand up.

His palm radiated with a familiar golden glow, and Rouge could feel his Chakra reacting with the Chakra of the Chaos Emerald she left in her tent, under her pillow. The Emerald suddenly shot out of her tent and into the air, sparkling in the moonlight, before Armic caught it. Rouge suddenly understood how Armic did that.

"Oh, now I see! Just like I reached out and pulled my excess Chakra back into me, you reached out and pulled your Chakra from the Emerald back to you!" She deducted, looking proud of herself. He laughed and nodded.

"That's what having control of your Chakra is all about. Here." He said, holding it out to her. She took it with some amount of hesitation, but she found that the Chakra inside didn't repel hers.

"You were right, it doesn't feel funky like with the other gem." She said, admiring the golden Emerald.

"Really? I never knew for sure, since it's the same as my own." Armic speculated.

Rouge stared at the stone for a minute. She looked up at her teacher.

"So all I have to do is run my Chakra through it? I don't have to do anything else special?" She asked. Armic tittered lightly.

"There's no strings attached, Miss Rouge. Just channel your energy through the Emerald, and back into you." He assured her. The thief grinned a little at the thought of her using Chaos Control.

"Do I have to say 'Chaos Control'?" She asked. Armic didn't get the joke, and shook his head.

Rouge just stood there for a minute.

"_Can_ I say, 'Chaos Control'?" She asked bashfully. Armic just shrugged.

The bat grinned. In a minute she'd be moving so fast time would be essentially frozen for everything but her. She knew exactly what she was going to do. Or she thought she did… She was stuck between two things…

Oh well, she had all the time in the world. She'd do both!

She held the Emerald out, and spoke the words, in a silky voice: "Chaos Control!" As the Emerald lit up…

And then faded.

Nothing happened. Everything was still the way it was, and Rouge looked kind of embarrassed, if not a little surprised. Armic blinked.

"Oh my, I forgot! Miss Rouge, we need to get you out of those clothes." Armic said, hastily. Rouge's face went a little red and she scowled at the boy in anger.

"ExCUSE me!" She shouted, hands on her hips. Armic flinched considerably, his face matching the hue of a tomato as he held his hands up, waving them frantically.

"Tha-tha-that's not what I meant! I mean, you need some loose-fitting robes in order to channel your Chakra more freely!" He sputtered, not wanting to be turned into a eunich by means of a mere misconception.

"Huh?" Rouge worded, not having heard him clearly. Armic took a deep breath and contained himself.

"The clothes you're wearing are a tad… umm… Constricting. I mean, I don't mind, but erh… Chakra can be kind of particular as to what type of garments you wear." He said, choosing his words as carefully as possible. Rouge looked down at her current attire, which was tight, like every other piece in her collection.

"Hmph. Is that why you wear robes?" She asked him. He nodded.

"That's why, yes. Erh, but I've none for you, I'm afraid… Do you have anything, by chance…?" he asked, hesitant. Rouge tucked the Emerald away in the usual spot, and looked to be in a pensive state.

"Hmmm. Nope. Loose-fitting isn't my style. But it's not a problem." She said, flapping her wings once, twice, and then thrice as she lifted of the ground. Armic looked up.

"Where are you going?" He shouted.

"To get something. Stay here, I'll be right back!" She said, flying off into the night.

Armic stood there a minute or two, then smiled to himself.

"Now's my chance." He uttered to himself.

----------+

The specter of the night remained in his own spot in the moonlight, on the highest building he could find. He liked to be alone on nights like this, high up, where he could see everything. He watched in amusement as the young Chaos boy seemed to be teaching Rouge how to use the energy she held inside of her.

Shadow was not nearly attuned to it as Armic was, but he had always felt it there, and vaguely knew how to control his own energy whenever he felt it necessary. He could always sense the Emeralds because of the massive energy they gave off, but people were more difficult. Rouge and Armic were the only energies he could feel outside of a Chaos Emerald, and now there was only one of those left.

And he sensed it, and felt a familiar fluctuation come from Rouge's hazy energy. Familiar in a very strange way.

"_What in the…? Is she trying to use Chaos Control?"_ Shadow thought to himself. He watched the Emerald light up, and for a second, he thought she might actually do it, but the Emerald's light died down, and she remained in the same spot.

Shadow did not expose any sort of cocky grin he might have many years ago, because he could sense how close she came. It seemed like only a thin layer of some unknown force was holding her back from doing it.

He remembered when he thought he was the only one who could actually perform Chaos Control. Then Sonic proved him wrong, and now Rouge was trying to drive the fact home.

But Rouge was a mischievous little thief.

"_Rouge plus time control… That doesn't bode well…"_ He thought exhaustedly.

Suddenly the bat took off, flying into the ruins of the city. Shadow vaguely wondered where she was going, and considered following her for a minute. It would give him something to do.

But then something roused his curiosity even more. The young Chaos Spirit looked around, sprouted his magic wings, and took off in a different direction.

Now, Rouge was extremely whimsical, did what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted, and she hadn't changed a bit over the years… but that Armic, kind as he might be, was still very mysterious, and was probably still keeping many secrets from them. Secrets Shadow wanted to know.

And he appeared to be waiting till the coast was clear to take his leave. He was definitely going someplace where he didn't want to be followed.

And he wouldn't be followed. Or at least he wouldn't _know_ that he was.

End Chapter 

I know, I know, extremely short chapter and you hate me forever and ever but I just HAD to jump at that cliffhanger! Couldn't resist.

Anyway, I'm totally friggin BACK, with plot and all that junk. I need something to do, because I've had… erh, let's just say our family's really gloomy at the time, and I've had no choice but to cancel my vacation! But that's alright, as long as I have writing, and you guys, I'll be just fine.

So what'd you think of this chapter? I know it was short, but it was good, right?

Right?

Anyway, I'm in an excellent mood, so I'll make up for this chapter's shortness with another chapter update VERY soon. I mean, it's a cliffhanger for me, too, and I must know what happens! Or, must think of what happens!

So please read, review, and stay tuned! I'll be back very very soon with some more Miles Foxy, of that I assure you!

YiffyOne


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